Fire Within
by EternalDraygon
Summary: **IT'S BACK!** Champion of multiple Hunger Games, master parkourist, and cow-hater is what 22-year-old AntVenom is most known for. However, when he discovers he can use magic, Ant's world turns upside-down. So after receiving a mysterious note, he sets off on a journey to discover the secrets that are shrouding his past. What could the Venom name possibly be hiding?
1. Chapter 1

The events of yesterday were still fresh in his mind. The sights, the sounds, everything. The reality was hard for him to believe. Had he been able to use magic his entire life? Ant sighed, continuing to gaze out of his bedroom window. Honestly, this had ever happened before. He recalled the previous day, when he had summoned that odd blast of scorching flames. It was a small blast, more of a flaming version of a spray of water, but nonetheless it was a shock.

Ant had been exploring a nearby unexplored cavern with one of his good friends, CavemanFilms. They had been mining different types of ores, such as iron, since the town they resided in had ran low on supplies. The two were being to head into the lower levels of the giant cavern, where they would hopefully find a few diamonds. The cold stone floor gave off a loud, echoing tap as they walked across the ground.

The two came to a massive underground ravine, the faint glow of lava coming from below. The light provided by the molten rock was enough to prevent monsters from spawning. In curiosity, Cave peered down into the ravine, carefully balancing his weight so that he wouldn't fall forwards into the fissure. The sight of a lava lake that nearly spanned the entire ravine's floor was what greeted the Minecraftian. Ant noticed his friend's bewilderment and looked in Cave's direction, down into the ravine. "I wouldn't want to fall in there if I were you," he remarked.

Cave stood up and faced the black-haired male to his right. He gave Ant a teasing look. "You sure?"

Ant nodded, a faint smile on his face, "I'm pretty sure."

The two then continued deeper into the ravine, making sure not to fall straight into the lava. They had gathered enough supplies to last the whole town a couple of weeks. There had not been many mobs, which was lucky for them. There had only been a few zombies here and there, and an occasional appearance of a creeper or skeleton. Thankfully, they would've never gotten out if Ant hadn't brought up the idea of placing a trail of torches, which he had about two stacks of with him.

They followed the path of torches without any interruptions by mobs, until the sound of a skeleton's bones rattling was heard from the path up ahead, which continued on the other side of a pile of gravel which they had climbed over earlier. The clicking noise of the skeleton was heard yet again, only this time it was followed by the noise of another skeleton walking. Now they had to fight against two skeletons, which was much harder to deal with than just one, due to the new update. Cave began to climb over the gravel pile, but Ant grabbed his arm. "What are you doing!? Those skeletons will shoot you as soon as your head gets into view!"

Cave wrestled from Ant's grip. "That's exactly what I'm trying to do! I'll distract them, and you sneak up on 'em!"

After a quick discussion, Cave's plan was set into action. Ant would move in the shadows, progressing behind the skeletal archers and then striking them from behind. Cave would distract them, allowing Ant to sneak past without detection. It was risky, but it was better than nothing. The two of them each did their part of the plan. As soon as the skeletons were within range of his sword, Ant silently unsheathed his diamond blade, careful not to give away his position. Ant slowly began moving towards the skeletal foes. When they had finally taken notice of the Minecraftian behind them, it was too late. In one swift movement, the two skeletons were beheaded, their bony heads clanking as they hit the stone ground.

Ant let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He must have been unintentionally holding his breath when he was trying to move past them without making any noise whatsoever, as to not bring attention to himself. Sheathing his sword, Ant walked over to where Cave had been firing arrows at the previously standing skeletons. The two mobs' bodies was now nothing but two small piles of bones, collasped on the stone floor. "C'mon Cave, let's get back to the surface."

Nothing much had happened from that point on, until the encounter. No, it wasn't Herobrine or something near-impossible like that. But it was an Enderman, and it just so happened that they were both off-guard. The fading light of the sunset was visible, even from their current depth. Both were exhausted, and looked forward to their return. The two Minecraftians soon found the stone staircase they had mined out, hours before. Just before they began to ascend the carved-out stone staircase, Cave decided to check behind them, just in case some mobs were following the two.

An Enderman stared back at him, eyes blazing in fury. Cave backed up nervously, worried about what the unpredictable creature might do next. A screeching sound echoed through the caverns. Ant whipped around in surprise, then spotted the Enderman in front of Cave. "Oh Notch, no..."

In a blink of an eye, the Enderman shot forward, barely giving Cave enough time to jump out of the way. Ant dashed back down the steps, quickly unsheathing his sword in the process. Meanwhile, Cave had managed to grab an iron sword from his inventory, just before the Enderman could strike again. This, however, did not give him enough time to block the incoming attack. The furious creature from the End slashed its sharpened battle claws at Cave's torso. Dark red blood splattered everywhere.

The force of the Enderman's blow knocked Cave to the ground, head slamming to the cold, hard rock floor. The impact as his skull hit the stone nearly knocked him out. Ant ran at full force, charging straight into the Enderman, sword ready to stab into it. The creature directed its attention towards its attacker, allowing its previous victim time to move out of the way. Just before Ant could stab the Ender-being, it teleported behind him, narrowly avoiding the sharp blade.

Hearing the distinct sound of the teleport behind him, the Minecraftian raised his sword and turned around, nearly missing the chance to counter the mob's vicious claw swipe. He managed, with some difficulty, to hit the Enderman quite a few times. The unmistakable purple blood of an End creature stained Ant's sword. However, the Enderman wasn't the only one who was about to collaspe. The battle had taken its toll on the two, with Ant suffering from fatigue and Cave by his worsening condition.

The Enderman reappeared yet again, this time taking advantage of its opponent's fading strength. The night-black being lashed out with its battle claws, slashing Ant's left cheek, since his ability to quickly react and block had been slowed due to his growing exhaustion. The Enderman looked at its foe in anticipation, waiting for Ant's next attack. It had already figured out his battle strategy, it only needed to finish him off. Ant gazed over to the barely concious Cave, who was lying in a small pool of blood. If he didn't finish this now, both of them would die.

Observing the two beings, the Enderman could see the danger of their current situtation. However, it would not give up its life just for these two Minecraftians. It had killed many in the same exact predicament, and it did not give mercy to anyone. At least they would be able to see each other again in the Aether. But never again on the Overworld. There was no hope for them now. The Enderman tightened its hands into fists. _It looks like game over for you two. Now prepare to say your last words._

The Enderman let out another screech, which was the equivalent of a war cry in the Ender language. Ant faced the Enderman, ready to strike the final blow. The intensity between the two, Minecraftian and Enderman, was immense. The Enderman charged at Ant, claws at the ready. With every last of his energy, Ant also charged, tightly gripping the leather handle of his blood-stained diamond sword with his right hand. Suddenly feeling a surge of power run through him, Ant unknowingly clenched his empty left hand even tighter, as if directing the surge to it. Only few inches away from the Enderman's long reach, he thrust his left hand in front of him and unclenched it, releasing a powerful blast of flames from the palm of his hand.

The Enderman screeched again, only this time, in pain. It had not known that one of them could use magic, which is an extremely dangerous weapon when used on others. Especially elemental magic, like what this being had used. Purple Ender blood steadily formed a pool around the creature, and the Enderman moved no more. Ant smirked in triumph before crumpling onto the ground, knocked unconcious from the sudden drain of energy.

Even with his head injury causing him to fade in and out of conciousness, Cave had witnessed the entire scene. Had Ant just summoned fire magic? Did that really just happen? A burst of pain shot through his head, interrupting Cave's thoughts. He had to get the two of them out this cave system before any more mobs could find and attack them. With some difficulty, Cave managed to use the stone wall behind him to get back on his feet. His head felt like it was spinning from the sudden change of positions.

Cave slowly moved towards his unconcious companion, careful not to injure himself any farther. With a grunt, Cave heaved Ant's limp body over his shoulder. A sharp pain was met when he did this, but it began to slightly ease as time passed. Just before they had reached the town gates (Ant became concious a bit earlier, but was still weak from the drain of energy), Cave had collapsed from total exhaustion. Ant, knowing how serious the situation was, rushed up to the gates, and called up to the guards, who today were Setosorcer and TrueMU. "Guys! Cave fell unconcious a bit farther up the road! I could use some help getting him into town!"

The Minecraftian in the blue, metallic spacesuit nodded. "Don't worry, we're on it!"

TrueMU then jumped off of the guard tower, but was not injured due to his jetpack, which he had used in order to slow his descent. "Seto, could you tell the others?"

Seto gave him a quick nod, then ran down the staircase, into the town below. TrueMU noticed the condition that Ant was in, his skin paler than usual. _What kind of things did they go through, for them to be in this kind of condition!?_ MU excused the thought, and continued to follow Ant down the road to where Cave lay. MU's attention was immediately drawn to the slash across Cave's torso. "You guys had an encounter with an Enderman!?"

Endermen were normally few in the area, and only a small handful actually came near the town. You see, mobs tended to avoid the group of Minecraftians, since they were well-armed against the mobs. However, that didn't stop the mobs from attacking small groups of Minecraftians in cave systems and such, they just didn't attempt attacking the well-protected town. Nonetheless, Endermen were still rare but deadly.

Ant gave a slow nod. "Yeah, and it caught us off-guard. If we had kept our guard up, that Enderman wouldn't had done so much damage..."

TrueMU looked over the two beaten Minecraftians. They looked like they had been through living Nether and back again. Suddenly, the sound of the townpeople talking amongst one another was audible. After that, everything was just a blur of color and sound. Time seemed to fly by, and the clearness of his memory almost disappeared altogether.

Lightly swinging his legs over the edge of his bed, Ant tried to make sense of what had happened down in those caverns. It still seemed impossible. _Maybe I just imagined it. After all, fatigue can make you halluciate and see things that aren't there, right? _The only other witness had been Cave, who was recovering from the Enderman's attack. His thoughts drifted to Cave and his current status. _I guess I should check if he's awake yet... _Ant's feet made a tapping noise as they hit the oak plank floor. As he walked past his desk, a small piece of white paper slipped to the ground.

Noticing the stark white paper lying on the wooden flooring, Ant lowered himself into a crouching position and picked it up. He stood back up, curiously unfolding the mysterious note. A message, written in familiar handwriting, almost exactly like his own, was on the paper. The note read:

'You didn't imagine it.'

Ant was confused. There was no one else, other than Cave, who had actually seen him cast the spell, so how could this person be so sure? Puzzled, Ant continued reading the note in his hand.

'There are secrets to your family, your true family, the ones you never knew.'

The note was beginning to creep him out. _How does this person know that I never met my real parents? That I was orphaned at the age of seven? I never told anyone... _Ant paused, not exactly wanting to keep reading. _What does this person know that I don't?_

'If you want to know the truth, head to the Dusk Mountains. I will meet you there. Bring a companion, if you must, but I must warn you, these secrets are dangerous.'

_ Dangerous? _Concerned, yet interested, Ant read the last two sentences remaining on the note.

'I know who you are, AntVenom. There is more to your family name than you might think.'


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm going."

Grail looked at Ant in disbelief. "You don't even know who this person is and you're going to follow their directions!? Ant, you're insane!"

The black haired Minecraftian turned towards the blonde female. His dark chocolate colored eyes gave her a stubborn, determined look, as if to say his mind was already made up. She returned the glare with an upset expression, confirming her worry for Ant. He only gazed off into space, absorbed in his own thoughts. He felt a gentle hand rest on his left shoulder.

Ant came back into reality and slowly directed his attention to it, still not making eye contact with Grail. Her unused hand carefully tilted Ant's head so that he was looking at her. She dropped her hands to her sides after doing so. "Ant, why do you want to find this person so badly? I mean, you're living a perfectly good life, so why would you want to leave?"

He gazed into Grail's crystal blue eyes. "Grail," he began, "what if there was something you never knew about yourself and you discover it one day? You would want to dive deeper into it and find out more, right?"

She thought about Ant's statement for a moment, then gave a small nod. "I guess I would..."

"That's exactly my point. If there really is something more to my real family, then-"

Grail cut him off, confusion obvious from her expression. "Wait, what do you mean by 'real family'? You mean you never met your real parents before? Ant, I never knew..."

Ant stared at the ground in silent anger, mentally cursing at himself. _Notch damn it! Why did I have to go off and say that out loud?_

Grail, noticing Ant's reaction, sighed. "I won't tell anyone else if you don't want me to, I promise."

It was only about a minute before Ant looked up from the floor, but to him, it felt like hours. "But you understand why I'm leaving now, right?"

A faint smile appeared on Grail's face. "Yeah, I see how it's so important to you, but return home safely, okay?"

Ant lightly kissed her on the cheek. "Don't worry, I will."

As he walked out the door of his house, Ant noticed Cave talking with a few other people, which he recognized as SkythekidRS and CaptainSparklez. He began to walk over to the group, Sky spotting him before anyone else. "Hey Ant, what's up?"

Ant explained the previous day's events, from the mysterious note to his decision to leave. When he had finished, he asked if any of them would come with him. Sky scrowled in annoyance. "I would go, but I have to travel to one of the Sky Army's storage facilities. Some of our spies have found out that the Squids are planning to ambush it sometime this week, and I have to make sure that they don't take almost all of the Army's weapon supply. I was planning on leaving later today."

Ant gave his friend a brief nod, understanding the importance of the situation. "So, anyone else willing to come?"

Before Cave could say anything, Sparklez stepped forward. "I'll go. Cave hasn't fully recovered yet, so I'll go in his place."

"I guess he has a point...," an annoyed Cave mumbled.

Sky turned to Cave, a smirk evident on his face. "'Ya know, after you fully recover, we could have a contest to see who's better at parkour."

Cave gave Sky a confident expression. "You're on!"

Sparklez, amused from the sudden turn of events, changed his focus from the two Minecraftians to Ant, who was also watching the other two. "So, when are we leaving?"

Mildly surprised by the sudden question, Ant raised his head to look at the slightly taller male. "Whenever you're ready to leave is fine with me."

In reality, Ant wanted to leave immediately, but he didn't want to rush the Captain. He had wanted to go solo, but his gut feeling telling Ant was to bring another person along, since this journey now felt even more dangerous then it first seemed. The suspense was starting to get to him, and it only made Ant want to set off into the wilderness as soon as possible.

After what seemed like hours, Sparklez had returned with the supplies he had found suitable for the journey. As he had returned to where Ant was waiting, the Captain had noticed his comrade constantly glancing in the direction of the gates. "Well, someone's ready to head out."

Ant brushed a hand through his silky black hair. "It's just the suspense of it all is what's bugging me."

Sparklez silently gave a quick nod, then followed Ant through the gates, where they soon entered a forest, not too far from the cave where the Enderman had attacked. A while later, the sound of thunder was audible in the distance. The sky had already changed to a dark ash gray, and the sunlight had diminished as faded gray storm clouds covered it. Feeling light raindrops land on him, Ant's attention was directed to the clouds above. Sparklez had also noticed this, and frowned. "Great. Looks like a storm is coming in."

In search for a place to stay for the night, the two Minecraftians began to head towards a nearby giant-sized oak tree, with leaves that were thick enough to block out most of the rain. Only a few tiny raindrops penetraited the abundance of vivid green leaves. The tree was tall enough so that if they were careful, it wouldn't catch on fire if they set up one. Sparklez began to set up a fire, but to his annoyance, he didn't have anything to light it with. Observing Sparklez, his back resting against the large oak trunk, Ant sat down on the bright green grass and searched through his inventory for a flint and steel. He didn't have one with him either.

The air was too humid to even try to create a spark via other methods. Sparklez looked at Ant expectingly. "I don't have a flint and steel either, so why are you looking at me like that?"

"Well, if you set that Enderman on fire yesterday, then who says you can't do it with an unlit campfire?"

Ant sighed. It wasn't like he had purposely tried to set the Enderman on fire, he just did it without knowing. But of course, he hadn't actually tried to summon fire on purpose before. _Well, there's always a first time for everything... _Ant tried to get the surge of energy to happen again, but to no avail. "C'mon, Ant, focus," he muttered to himself.

Sparklez noticed his friend's growing frustration as Ant tried- and failed- summon up a flame, or at least a small spark. Sparklez turned away and continued to set up camp. "You don't have to push yourself so much, it's fine if we don't have a fire."

Ignoring the Captain's prompt, Ant calmed himself down and tried yet again. This time, he felt the energy surge and guided it towards his right hand. He could suddenly feel the intense heat of fire, the light illuminating a small area around him. Knowing that his attempts were fruitful, Ant grinned in success. "What do you mean by that I'm pushing myself too hard?"

Surprised by the flickering light behind him and Ant's remark, Sparklez slowly looked behind him. There was Ant, smirking at Sparklez, a steady flame floating slightly above the skin of his right palm. Bewildered, Sparklez could only watch as Ant threw the fireball into the unlit campfire. "That's frikin' amazing!"

Ant looked away from the now burning campfire to face the Captain, "Yeah, but the only problem about it is that it kinda tires you out..."

"I could already tell, since your face gets slightly paler afterwards."

The two talked for quite a bit before turning in. The sound of thunder continued to rumble from the sky above, as if there was an immense battle obscured within the clouds. The storm raged throughout the entire night, as watchful storm-gray eyes carefully observed the two before vanishing into the darkness.

The warm sunlight filtered through the leaves, signaling the start of the next day. Sparklez had awoken about a hour or so earlier than Ant, so he decided to let the other Minecraftian sleep for a little longer as he went off to get a few extra items they might need later on. When Sparklez returned, however, Ant was still fast asleep, probably due to the use of magic. "Ant, get up. It's morning."

Ant turned away from the other's voice, moaning a 'Five more minutes...'. Sparklez only rolled his eyes at the reply. It took some effort, but eventally Ant was awake, wiping the sleep out of his eyes in the same fashion of that of a young child. After getting all his supplies together, Ant caught up to Sparklez, who had gone up ahead to check for any mobs. There were a few zombies who were stupid enough to stay out in the sun, but they were too distracted as the sunlight burned the undeads into nothing but piles of dust.

The two continued towards the looming Dusk Mountains in the distance, as the very eyes from the night before silently watched from behind the bushes nearby. The hiding figure quietly spoke into a comlink, as to not be detected. "Target acquired. Sending coords..."

Gray Eyes shut off the comlink, and continued to cautiously watch them. The person then murmured to themselves, "...It would seem that history is repeating itself..."

**(A/N: Sorry for the shorter chapter! I was kinda done with this chapter and didn't know how exactly to continue w/o making it too long. Then again, there really isn't such a thing as too long with the length of the chapters I write. UGHH! I really have to write MUCH longer chapters... Meh... I promise you guys I'll write a longer chapter next time! Oh yeah, and please send me reviews! It makes me know that I should continue writing Fire Within! Thanks! ETERNALDRAYGON, OUT!)**


	3. Chapter 3

A dark silhouette stood silently, locking eyes with the young commander. The younger of the two tightly gripped his gun, careful not to lose focus and give the eldest precious time to strike. The other's stark, faintly glowing, red eyes seemed to pierce right through his soul. If he looked away for a second, or let down his guard... The thumping sound of footsteps echoed off the walls of the immense structure. _Finally! The rest of the troops! It's about time..._ Suddenly aware that he had glanced away from his foe, the commander swiftly turned his head to check if the shadowy being was still there. The answer was no.

Charging up his laser rifle, the gray armored commander carefully searched the area for the future captive. There was no way that he would lose his prey this time. The distinct sound of a sword being drawn came from behind the armed individual. Whirling around in surprise, he was met with the sight of the same blood red eyes of the being he was supposed to capture. Thankfully, the other soldiers had found the two and surrounded the black clothed Minecraftian. The commander grinned in triumph. "Where can you run now? Give up, and we won't have to apply force," he said, weapon prepared to shoot.

The figure began to softly chuckle. "You honestly think that I'm just going to give up here and now? Fools. You would know better from a previous prisoner of yours."

The commander narrowed his midnight black eyes, angered at such an insult. "You're the foolish one, trying to make a point while you're surrounded, guns pointed at you and ready to fire."

The dark being did not speak, amusing the commander. "I've made my point. Surrender, and we won't shoot."

Unknowing to the soldiers, the figure was actually collecting energy, just enough to finish them all off. An evil grin revealed on his face. "You have no idea, do you?"

Before anyone could speak, a giant wave of flames burst from the figure's hands, effectively killing many of the armed soldiers, and nearly killing the remaining, which included the commander. The light from the flames illumiated the figure's likeness, which appeared to be much like a certain other Minecraftian's...

The two had traveled much farther from the town, the forest steadily growing less thicker and overgrown, and now expanding into a vast Plains Biome. Ant scrowled as he heard the somewhat annoying noise of a cow snorting. Sparklez, however, knew about his friend's obvious dislike for the animal, and decided to head off in another direction. The grass was covered with dew from the previous night's rain, which glistened as the sun continued to travel across the clear blue skies. A faint breeze traversed the plains, gently blowing the tall grass as it passed by.

Ant stared off into space, deep in his own thoughts. He trailed behind Sparklez, not paying much attention to anything else. His unawareness nearly caused him to fall into a babbling stream, but just before Ant fell in, the Captain had noticed and pulled the other back onto the overgrown dirt path they had been following. Because he had been jerked backward so suddenly, Ant snapped out of his trance and sheepishly looked at the other Minecraftian. "Sorry about that..."

Sparklez only shrugged it off, and began to follow the rugged path towards their destination, the Dusk Mountains, which was starting to become sharper in detail as they got closer. The expansive plains began to lessen, and form into the border of an Extreme Hills Biome. As the two trekked on, night began to slowly creep up on them, much like a creeper, which was known for its incredible stealth. Mobs had begun to spawn; skeletons armed with their bows, zombies hungry for flesh, creepers ready to blast apart any opponents, and spiders prepared to hunt down their prey.

The nighttime had come much faster than expected, and the two Minecraftians had not yet set up a camp, leaving them open for any mob attacks. With a frown, Sparklez observed the landscape, an abundance of mobs in clear sight. They had to find shelter fast, or else they could be ambushed by a group of skeletons, or perhaps a horde of zombies... A faint hissing noise came from behind, the sound matching that of a creeper's. The Captain swiftly turned around, sword drawn. Ant was already on it, quickly piercing the creeper with a stab of his own blade. He had struck a fatal blow to the mob, leaving the creeper to reel in pain before disappearing into a cloud of smoke, leaving two handfuls of gunpowder on the ground.

Ant could tell that Sparklez was at least slightly impressed from his quick reflexes, but of course, when you've dealt with creepers for such a long time, it gets much easier to hear their soft footsteps sneaking up behind you. He was expecting the other Minecraftian to say something about it, but it seemed like Sparklez was focused too much on the other mobs. They weren't out of the woods yet, even though the two had already gone through a forest earlier. Ant decided to scout around for an open cave that didn't have too many mobs guarding the entrance.

He searched for a bit longer, before finding one, a bit on the small side, however it would do for the remainder of the night. Suddenly, the whizzing noise of an arrow shot past Ant's head, nearly gazing his ear. In one quick motion, Ant faced his attacker, which was, of course, a skeleton. The skelly notched another arrow in its bow, trying to shoot Ant, who was currently straifing towards the undead archer. It let fly another arrow, this time missing completely. If skeletons could scrowl, this one would. Ant was getting closer and closer, and the skeleton would be nothing but a pile of bones if he got in range. Aiming its shot carefully, the skeleton released yet another arrow, which struck Ant in the shoulder.

The skeletal mob felt a twinge of success as it watched its Minecraftian foe cringe in pain as the arrow impaled its right shoulder. Blood began trickling from the wound almost as soon as it was inflicted. Pain shot through him as Ant tried to pull out the arrow. It was no use, the projectile was too deeply imbedded in his flesh. Also, if Ant stayed there for much longer, the skelebutt, as he called them, would be able to fire another arrow and kill him then and there. Fighting the pain that rushed through him with every movement, Ant struggled to dodge an incoming arrow.

Meanwhile, Sparklez was dealing with mobs of his own. He was surrounded by a starving horde of zombies, most of them armed with some kind of weapon, which was from blunt stone shovels to sharpened iron swords. The zombies had a basic fighting strategy, charge at the enemy, then strike it down. The strategy would only work on newbies, not experienced fighters like the Captain. The undead slowly proceeded towards the Minecraftian, unaware of their fate. He waited for the moaning creatures to get within range of his sword before striking them down. A zombie, armed with a gleaming iron sword, and equiped with a golden helm and chestplate, was the first to reach him.

In one swift motion, Sparklez sliced the mob's head straight off, then pierced through its chestplate. The zombie fell to the ground and vanished into a puff of smoke. One down, seven to go. Another undead, in full leather armor and with stone shovel, groaned near him, the sound coming from his right. Sparklez glanced over in that direction, the approaching mob very much there. Before turning to face the mob, he stabbed another zombie, which didn't any armor or weapons, that was trying to sneak up on him. Its attempts were useless as it crumpled to the grassy earth below.

Ant ducked behind the rock he was hiding behind, just as the skeleton fired off another arrow. He tried another attempt at pulling the skeleton's arrow out of his shoulder, but still, to no avail. He had already become slightly light-headed from the blood loss, and that wasn't helping one bit. There was no other option than to summon up some fire magic, but he was in such a weakened state that if he did, Ant would collapse and fall prey to any spider or zombie who just happened to be nearby. Still, there was nothing else he could do. Ant couldn't fire any shots with his own bow, and if he tried to fight with a sword, his decreased speed would make him an easy target. Either way, he would be pretty much dead.

Suddenly, a rustling noise came from the bushes behind him. Ant partly turned around, still in a sitting position. He tried to tell himself to calm down, but that seemed a little more than impossible at the moment. Panicing, Ant picked up the closest item to him, which was his sword. He realized that his left arm was shaking, but it was mostly due to the strain of the sword's sudden heavyness. If it was a spider, Ant was done for. A spider could strike him before he could counter the attack. The bushes rustled again, causing him to grip his sword even tighter. The diamond blade shone in the moonlight; pointed directly at the previously moving plants.

The unknown creature tumbled out of the bushes, and was nearly hit with Ant's sword before he stopped himself. In the dim light, Ant could just make out the shape of a Minecraftian, however it was not Sparklez. Instead, it was a teenage girl, probably about 18 or so. She was facing away from Ant, angrily mumbling something about bad hiding places. Ant looked at her suspiciously when he heard the phrase. _A fangirl, maybe?_ The teen began to scamble back into her hiding spot, but then whipped around when she heard the sound of an arrow flying by. "Freaking skeletons, always-"

The girl stopped talking when she noticed Ant. "Oh Notch, I am so screwed," she muttered under her breath.

She tried to give Ant a cheerful smile, but under the current circumstances, it seemed even more suspicious. "Um, hi?"

Ant gave her an unamused look. He didn't want to deal with some stalker fangirl of his at this moment. "Who the Nether are you, and why are you following me?"

The teen only gestured for him to wait, pulling out her bow and fired a few arrows at the skeleton; almost every single one hit its target. The skeleton crumpled into a pile of bones, killed off by her incredible ranged skill. Ant couldn't help but gape at the teenager. He had never seen someone have that much accuracy with a bow before. She turned her head towards the eldest, a glint of pride in her youthful stormy eyes. Ant was speechless. _No freaking way..._ The teen brushed her long, wavy, light brown hair out of her face. "Ya know, I've always been good with ranged weaponry. It's just practice."

Ant changed his expression to that of seriousness. "I asked who you are, and why you're here. Stop trying to avoid the question."

She smirked when she fully observed the other Minecraftian. "Well, judging from your current condition, there's not much that you can do to force an answer out of me. I'll only tell you my name, that's all you get. Name's Storm."

Ant frowned in annoyance, glancing at his injury. The younger Minecraftian had a point. "So what makes you think I can trust you, Storm?"

She looked off in another direction, avoiding eye contact. "That's something I can't tell you yet. I-"

Ant was quite irritated now, since Storm was being too secretive for his liking. "What do you mean, 'something you can't tell me yet'!?"

He leaned against the smooth rock, feeling even more light-headed, probably due to blood loss. The only good thing about it was that the bleeding had stopped- for now. Storm faced the older male, unable to think of a good response. She gazed at the ground in silence. Noticing this, Ant looked back at her, unwilling to argue much longer. "Fine, I'll give you a chance..."

Storm gave him a faint smile. "T-thanks..."

The 22-year-old only slightly nodded. He had to at least give her a chance, even if she was a fangirl. After all, Storm had saved his life from that skeleton. Ant sighed, thinking to the task ahead. Now, how would he explain this to Sparklez? There was no way that the Captain would allow Storm to come with them. Then again, they could use an expert marksman- er, markswoman- like Storm. Maybe that could work, just maybe...

**(A/N: HALLO AGAIN, PEOPLE OF FANFICTION! Yeah, I'm back, and with a new chapter of Fire Within! The story is getting deeper and deeper, isn't it? And just who is this other fire-user, you might ask? NOPE! NOT TELLING YOU! Well, yeah, you'll find out soon enough. Anyways, I promised a longer chapter, and I wrote one! Sure, it's not 3,000 words or something, but it's long enough! Also, please review, tell your friends, and check out my new forum, MC Academy! Thanks in advance! ETERNALDRAYGON, OUT!)**


	4. Chapter 4

"There is no way she's coming with us."

CaptainSparklez glanced at the newcomer with a stern look. AntVenom sighed, obviously annoyed with his friend's stubborn response. He had tried to convince him to allow Storm to come along with them, but each attempt ended in failure. The mentioned Minecraftian leaned against a birch tree, fiddling with her hair. Storm blew her wavy, nutmeg-colored bangs away from her face. The two older males had been arguing for quite a long time now, at least ten minutes or so, and the argument seemed far from a conclusion. "Can't you guys just come to a decision?"

The teenager huffed angrily when her comment was ignored. They wouldn't listen to her even if she got their attention, for she was about three years younger than the other two. Storm rolled her smoky-gray eyes. She had to finish this endless argument, even if by force. The teen casually walked up behind Sparklez, then smacked him in the back of the head. He grabbed the back of his head in pain and glared at Storm, who innocently looked back at the Captain. This only caused him to become even more annoyed. "What the Nether was that for!?"

She held back a smile, careful not to ruin her chances of coming with them. Then again, she had just hit Sparklez in the back of the head, so her chances were pretty much ruined right now. Storm held up her hands in innocence. "It didn't seem like you guys were going to stop arguing anytime soon. You do realize that we're wasting time, right?"

Behind the Captain, Ant smirked. "The girl has a point, Sparklez. So what now?"

Sparklez only gave a small sigh, then turned to Ant. "Fine, she can come, but it's not my fault if she ends up being a complete fangirl."

He faced where Storm had been earlier, but the teen was gone. Just as Sparklez was about to say something, he noticed Storm already up the path they had been traveling on. She was waiting for them to get over to where she was. _Someone doesn't want to waste any time_, the Captain thought. The other two Minecraftians managed to catch up with Storm, even after she decided to turn it into some type of game, running away before the two could reach her. Eventually, Storm stopped evading the two males by dashing even farther away. She leaned against an old spruce tree, grinning as they finally came into view. "What took you so long?"

The two only looked at her in pure annoyance, which caused the teen to laugh. She had ran so far that they were now in a Taiga Biome, very close to the mountain which they were attempting to reach. Snow had begun to lightly fall, and was starting to cover the land around the three in a soft white. The sky was overcast, but it was still bright enough to prevent any monsters of the night from spawning early. The group rested by the ancient spruce tree; its thick branches creating a roof from the snowfall. They stayed there for quite a bit; until they had fully regained their breath, however, Storm didn't need to do so.

The sky was still a gloomy overcast, but it had become visibly darker. Not wanting a repeat of the previous night, Ant continued down the path, with his other two comrades following not too far behind. Pure white snow had coated the ground, making the path much harder to see. The growing darkness didn't help much, either. Storm had agreed to go up ahead and scout for any monsters, or mobs, as Minecraftians called them. Suddenly, a spider leaped off from a nearby tree, nearly knocking Ant over, but he quickly dodged the attack and slashed at it before the mob could strike at him again.

Suddenly, they heard Storm screaming bloody murder. The two males rushed down the path, ready to slay the creature that was threatening their female acquaintance. There she was, in a clearing covered in white snow. Storm was backed up against a tree, cowering, and was covered in subtle scratches and cuts. The shrill hiss of a spider came from nearby, its scarlet eyes and black form easily spotted in the stark white space. Sparklez was the first to reach the clearing, which Ant reached only a few moments later. "Hang in there, Storm," Ant shouted, "we're coming!"

The spider locked its many eyes on the other two Minecraftians, quietly hissing in anticipation. Storm opened one eye, keeping the other closed, and nervously glanced at the spider. In less than a second, Storm tightly shut her open eye, muttering something unaudible under her breath. The giant spider gave another shrill hiss before pouncing on top of Sparklez. The Minecraftian smacked the mob away just before it could sink its sharp fangs into his skin. The mob screeched in anger, then proceeded to attack the most vunerable of the three: Storm.

The spider whipped around to face the teen, which it stared at with its glowing red eyes. It was sure it would kill at least one of these Minecraftians that had invaded its territory. The arachnaid lunged at Storm, who was pushed out of the way by Ant. If spiders could scrowl, this one would, for sure. However, Sparklez stabbed the creature before it could strike again; its oddly colored light green blood staining the white snow. It let out a faint screech before it vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind two pieces of string and a spider eye in its place.

Storm was shaking uncontrollably, and had stopped only after Ant tapped her on the shoulder and stated the spider was dead. She sighed in relief, but then became nervous again when the teen saw her rescuer's expression, one of slight confusion. "What happened? Why didn't you fight that spider?"

She began to fidget with her royal blue hoodie's zipper in silence, gaze directed at the ground. Sparklez had already ran over to their location, and was now wiping off the spider blood from his sword. When he noticed her uneasy posture, the Captain spoke up. "Is it that you're afraid of them?"

The teenager faced him, her nervousness quite obvious, for she stammered when she tried to speak. "N-no way! I-I'm n-not afraid of any sp-spider!"

The Captain only gave her a reassuring smile. "It's fine. We'll deal with any that cross our path, right, Ant?"

Ant only nodded, before responding to the question. "Of course."

Storm turned away from the older two Minecraftians, trying to prevent them from seeing the bright blush on her face. They didn't have to do this for her if they didn't want to. Her fear of spiders was just going to cause the other two problems, she knew it. "You know, you don't have to if-"

Ant cut her off. "It's okay, Storm. Let's just keep going."

Her blush still evident, Storm quickly nodded and stood up, steadily keeping up with the other two as they quietly continued down the snow-covered path. She pulled up her hood to cover her somewhat frozen ears, observing the snowflakes as they fluttered to the ground below. Before long, a faint luminance was seen farther down the path. _A town? Here, in the middle of practically nowhere?_ As the trio approached the faint light, which grew brighter as time passed, a fairly large Testificate village came into view. The Squidward-nosed villagers casually strolled through the town, minding their own business.

There were a few signs hanging from a couple of buildings, displaying the supplies or services available there. Gratefully, one peculiar sign had a picture of a bed, which was the inn. It was nearing nighttime, and no one wanted a repeat of the last night's events. However, none of the group's members had brought Emeralds with them, which was the currency Testificates used. In they were lucky, they might be able to barter an item in order to stay the night. The three Minecraftians entered the building, and were met with the sight of the innkeeper talking with the town mayor. Not wanting to interrupt, the group quietly sat at an empty table. While Sparklez and Ant discussed how much longer it would take to reach the mountains, Storm couldn't help but easedrop on the villagers' conservation.

The mayor frowned at what the innkeeper must've said earlier. "If we don't get help anytime soon, the town will fall because of that blasted witch! She sends out her minions each and every night, and none of us are powerful enough to defeat her!"

Storm leaned back in her seat a little more in order to hear the Testificates better. _A witch, you say? Heh, Ant's not going to be too happy about this._ She knew that the 22-year-old absolutely hated witches, since he claimed they were too overpowered and very frustrating to deal with. The 18-year-old couldn't help but grin, imagining Ant's reaction to this. Storm listened in again, eager to find out what else was possibly going on in this town.

"Of course I will! But no travelers have been here in a while, so it might be too late when we get some!"

Storm blinked, puzzled. _What did the innkeeper mean by that?_ She looked at Ant and Sparklez, before turning back to face the Testificates. _Wait, we're travelers, right?_ The teen suddenly found herself talking, and before she could stop herself, Storm had already blurted out, "We could help you out with whatever the problem is, but in return for supplies and a place to stay for the night."

Everyone was shocked from her sudden remark, even her two comrades, who were both staring at her in surprise. The two villagers, however, were looking at her in delight. Storm turned a light red color as she saw the other two Minecraftians' expressions. "Eheheh... Um, sorry?"

The mayor gave a cheerful nod. "For sure! If you three could just defeat that dreadful witch, then-"

Ant scrowled. "Great, there's a witch involved?"

Storm rolled her stormy gray eyes, which she was named for. Not as much as a reaction as she had thought. The mayor spoke again, with an apologetic tone hinted in his voice, "You don't have to fight the witch if you don't want to. I'm sorry if I jumped to a conclusion too fast."

"No, it's fine, we'll do it. It's just that witches are pretty annoying to fight, but I'm sure we can handle it."

Mr. Mayor, as Storm had decided to call him, bade them farewell, and left for his home. After the innkeeper had left the room, before anyone else could say anything, Storm grinned. "No need to thank me, we would've done it anyway."

Sparklez smirked at the teen. "I don't think it was such a bad idea to bring you with us, after all."

Meanwhile, deep underground in an abandoned mineshaft, the echoing footsteps of a Minecraftian sounded through the lost mines. Red eyes glared at anything that got in the way; if it was a mob, it would be sliced apart in mere seconds. The Minecraftian continued through the maze of tunnels, seemingly never getting lost. They reached a tunnel cloaked in pure darkness, and proceeded down it, unafraid of any monsters that happened to spawn in such blackness. A small flame erupted from the being's hand, lighting up the area around them. The distinct hiss of a creeper came from behind the figure, who only slashed the creature with an unbelievable swiftness. The creeper didn't even have time to feel the pain, because it died before it could.

The Minecraftian kept a steady frown, for the mobs were more plentiful than the last time they were here. _Hopefully, mobs hadn't found my base. If so, there's going to be quite a lot of blood spilled tonight._ They scanned the floor for any sign of a secret entrance. As they were looking for one, a trapdoor became visible in the faint light of the flame. _Here it is..._ The Minecraftian unlatched the trapdoor and slowly descended down the ladder, but not before locking it behind them. Their foot hit the stone brick floor below them, judging from the sound it made. The base was fairly large, with many chests, which were filled with supplies, and a few brewing tables were on one side, some already loaded with brewed potions.

A fire placed in the center of the room illuminated the place, preventing any mob spawning whatsoever. The Minecraftian walked over to one of the brewing tables, and picked up one of the three potions, which was labeled, 'Potion of Instant Harming X'. The being gave the slightest hint of a smile as they looked at the level ten potion, one that was practically impossible to get. _This could come in __handy later..._

**(A/N: Eheheh... I found out I kinda derped on Ant's age... (THANK YOU, BLUEBIRD!) I thought he was 21, but I was probably getting confused with CS's age. OOPSIE! Anyways, ANOTHER CHAPTER! YAYYY! IZ SO AWESOME! :DDD! Okay, I'll stop now. I'm already starting to write Chapter 5, so look forward to it! Also, I figured out that it takes about a week for me to write a chapter, so think of this story as a weekly one, okay? Thank you for any reviews, follows, and favorites you give this story! ETERNALDRAYGON, OUT!)**


	5. Chapter 5

He was running. Running from some threat unknown to him. The sounds of people yelling and guns blazing came from behind him, only making him want to run faster. Ant felt his legs burning with pain, but he still kept running. A thought rushed through his mind, one that somewhat explained the situation he was in. _I won't let them catch me, no matter what. They killed my parents, and I'll never forgive them for that._ Ant was in a state of confusion. _How did I even know that?_ His thoughts distracted him so much that Ant didn't even glance at the figure beside a nearby tree. The cloaked figure suddenly pulled him behind the tree, and covered his mouth. Ant struggled against them, until he noticed their age. The Minecraftian was about seven, which puzzled him. _How could a seven-year-old possibly pull a 22-year-old around?_ Then it suddenly occurred to him that he wasn't his current age, instead, he appeared to be seven, just like the cloaked child.

Ant was just about to ask who they were, until the cloaked being pulled down their hood. They looked almost exactly like him; younger, obviously, but the only differences were that the child had scarlet colored eyes. A name came to mind, but it was just barely out of his reach. The mysterious look-alike glanced in the direction Ant had come from. He let out a sigh of relief. "We've lost them, for now."

Ant tried to ask the child what was going on, but to his dismay, it seemed he couldn't talk. The red eyed Minecraftian noticed his frustration and studied him curiously. "They muted you, didn't they," Ant gave a slight nod, believing that might be the reason for his inability to speak. The other scrowled in anger. "They'll pay for that..."

The sound of an explosion came from farther up the path, indicating that the soldiers had discovered their hiding place. As silently as they could, the two quickly scambled into a small cave. It wouldn't be long until the troops found them, but at least they could rest for a bit. Ant couldn't help but shudder when a cave noise echoed from the depths of their current hiding spot. _Why do these people want to kill me and this other person? It makes no sense._ Shouts came from the entrance of the cave, and the sound of footsteps became closer and closer. There was nowhere to run this time, for the cave ended not too far from where it started. The soft shadows of the soldiers stretched across the stone walls. Both of the two young Minecraftians worriedly looked at each other. They knew they were done for.

Storm dumped the contents of her bag out onto the soft wool carpet. The many items sprawled out in front of her, but only one stood out. The teen frowned as her sight fell on the small metallic device. She hadn't used her comlink for the entire day. Storm cautiously reached for the device, and hestitated when she picked it up. Before she decided to throw it out the window, Storm remembered the reason she was following the other two, and carefully switched it on. A scruff voice was what greeted her. "Storm, you haven't reported back since yesterday. What is the reason for this?"

She gulped nervously. _Why did I have to turn it on?_ "Sir, I was..."

Storm tried to quickly come up with an excuse, but nothing came up, so she decided to tell the truth. "...I was following the target and his friend. I was caught but-"

The voice cut her off. "You were captured?"

Storm shook her head, even though she knew the person on the other end couldn't see it. "I managed to get them to trust me, but I think Sparklez is still pretty skeptical."

The Minecraftian on the other end's voice changed its tone to that of surprise. "Sparklez? As in Captain Sparklez?"

The teenager lightly bit her lip. _What does he want with Sparklez?_ Storm's voice slightly shook as she answered. "Yes...?"

She heard the person grunt in annoyance. "Um, sir?"

"It's nothing, Storm. It's just... nothing."

She frowned in worry. _What could've possibly happened between the two of them?_ "Sir, could you please tell me why-"

His voice's tone changed to that of anger. "Storm, if you ever want to see your sister again, finish the job. Use the tracker we gave you, put it in his bag, and just get over with it. Your previously sent coords did nothing to help us find him. Finish the job, Storm. Or else."

Storm's voice almost completely shook with fear, but was filled to the brim in fury. "But they're totally innocent! Why do you want them dead!? Honestly, sir, WHY!?"

"I have my reasons. Now, go finish the job."

The comlink cut out, and as soon as it did, Storm broke out into tears. Why did she have to be forced into this situation? Either her younger sister died, or these two completely innocent people. Storm had to make a choice, and she chose. Through her watery eyes, the teen weakly picked up another device that had a red colored core. She lightly pressed the activation switch, turning the core a faint glowing red. As quietly as she could, Storm snuck into the room Ant was staying, and slipped the now-activated device into his bag. The teen left as soon as she had come, but stopped at the doorway. He seemed to be in some type of nightmare, just like her. However, Storm's nightmare was in the waking world, and she wasn't able to get out of it. Ant didn't know how lucky he was...

Sunlight gently brushed against his face, causing him to groan. _Morning, already? _A familiar shadow was suddenly cast over him. "Get up, Ant. We have a witch to slay, remember?"

"Fine..."

When Sparklez had left his room, Ant proceeded to get up. Just before he went down the hallway to the main room, Ant decided to check to see if Storm was up yet. He thought so, but just in case she wasn't, he would wake her up. Ant slowly opened Storm's door a crack. "Storm?"

A faint voice answered him. "I'll be down there in a minute."

After Storm heard the sound of the door closing, she sighed. She felt terrible for having to betray them already. Only a day had passed since she had met the two. Still, a job is a job, and the fate of her nine-year-old sister was in her hands. Storm glanced up at the calendar hanging up in her room. It just so happened that today was her sister's tenth birthday, and she was trapped in a cell. The teenager pondered her sibling's condition for a while before getting off her bed to grab her hoodie. _Don't worry, Rain. I'll save you, no matter what the cost._ Storm zipped up her royal blue hoodie, then walked out of the room. The conservation from last night floated through her mind. "Finish the job, Storm," she murmured.

Both of the Minecraftians' heads looked up when they heard Storm's footsteps going down the wooden plank staircase. She had a cheerful expression, but her eyes betrayed it. She appeared to have a sad look in her eyes, but the other two weren't completely sure why. "'Morning, Storm," Ant said, with a hint of a smile on his face, however, he actually was slightly worried, mostly due to his nightmare the night before.

Storm quickly glanced at them before gazing back down at the floor. "'Morning..."

Sparklez couldn't help but smirk. "What's the matter? Upset that you didn't get to kiss one of us last night?"

The teenager glared at the 21-year-old. "For the last time," she snapped, "I am not a freaking fangirl!"

"Oh, really? Then why were you stalking Ant in the Extreme Hills Biome?"

Storm narrowed her eyes. "I wasn't stalking, I was just-"

Ant was obviously irritated with the others' argument, judging from his expression. "Guys, please! Just stop fighting for once!"

"Well, he started it," Storm mumbled, glaring in the Captain's direction.

"Hey, it was only a joke!"

"Guys, seriously!"

The two that were arguing immediately stopped, but were still glaring at each other. Ant sighed in relief, thankful that the fighting had ceased. After they had received directions to where the witch was located, the three set off for the nearby Swamp Biome. The path was covered in soft, white snow, which glistened in the early morning light. It wasn't long until the snowy ground changed to murky green grass, which indicated the shift of biomes. Dull green vines began to drape from the now scarce trees. The biome's naturally flattened terrain made it much easier to traverse as the group searched for the witch's hut.

After about half a hour, the hut was still undiscovered. Ant climbed to the top of a tree, hoping that being at a vantage point might help. He glanced down at the other two, with a slight frown. They had stopped searching five minutes ago, and were currently sitting at the base of the oak tree. Ant slowly shook his head, then continued to scale the vines. When he reached the top, harsh sunlight practically blasted his face. The trees had blocked out most of the sunlight, so he wasn't used to the light level. From his treetop perch, Ant could faintly make out the shape of a small house constructed of spruce planks. "I think I found it!"

The other two Minecraftians looked up at him in disbelief. Their expressions caused Ant to smirk. If he hadn't decided to keep searching, they would've never found the witch's hut. Ant didn't bother climbed back down the vines; he instead jumped off the tree. It wasn't too much of a drop, and his boots absorbed most of the impact. The other two followed Ant, who lead the group to where the witch's home was. _She's going to be in for a surprise, that's for sure._ They reached the establishment not long after they had started heading towards it. Just in case the witch was in there, the trio silently drew their weapons; Storm with her bow, and the two males with their swords. Ant was the first to sneak up to the door, which he cautiously opened.

He jumped back just in time to avoid a Potion of Poison, which had been thrown at where he previously was. Ant peeked around the door to see that the witch was very much there, and nearly was smacked in the face with a Potion of Harming. Suddenly, Storm pushed past Ant and swiftly fired a few shots at the witch, surprisingly, they didn't seem to deal much damage. The teen angrily muttered something about regen potions before being pulled out of the way of an incoming potion. There was no way that they could fight the witch from a distance; they had to risk getting hit and fight at close range. A potion shattered near them, but thankfully, they were too far away. Sparklez darted towards the witch, narrowly avoiding her thrown potions. However, he was unable to dodge one and was directly hit with the solution.

He expected pain to surge through him, but Sparklez didn't notice anything bad, until his vision started to blur. _The witch just had to throw a Confusion Potion, didn't she?_ Sparklez tried to keep heading towards his opponent, but the effect of the potion only caused him to fall over in his attempt. The Captain couldn't even stand up again after he had stumbled in his disoriented state. He despirately clutched his head, wanting only for the world to stop spinning. Meanwhile, Ant and Storm were attempting to stop the witch from attacking long enough for them to pull Sparklez out of the way. Another Potion of Harming exploded near the two, its contents just barely landing on Storm. She hissed in pain, the potion feeling as if it was burning through her skin. Ant looked at her in worry, but Storm only shrugged it off; pulling back her bow's drawstring. "It's nothing too serious!"

The 21-year-old slightly nodded before bringing his attention back to the witch. _If Sparklez is out there for any longer, he'll be done for._ Ant kept his attention on the witch and her wildly thrown splash potions, while trying to conjure fire. Then it occurred to him: if he used fire, it was certain that the building would catch on fire as well. Ant glanced back at Sparklez, who was leaning against a wall, right where the witch could easily decide to toss a Potion of Harming at the Captain. Ant then heard Storm curse under her breath. She looked at him, worriedly. "I'm all out of arrows. Whatever you're planning to attack the witch with, do it now."

The old plank floor creaked as the witch slowly approached them, a sly grin on her face. Ant tried to keep his focus on creating a flame, but he kept getting distracted by each footstep of the witch's. If he didn't strike her now, all of them would be done for. Ant forced himself to ignore the approaching witch, and summon a fireball to strike her down. The witch slipped a Potion of Harming from her pocket into her hand. They would pay for coming to her home and attempting to defeat her. Little did she know what was about to happen next. A sense of energy overcame Ant, and a blazing flame erupted from the palm of his hand. With nearly all of his remaining strength, he hurled the bright fireball at the witch. The flames only brushed past the old woman, who was unaffected by them. Ant slumped to the floor, unable to do anything as his conciousness faded away.

**(A/N: HEY GUYS, ANTVENOM HERE! JK, I'M NOT ANT! I AM BACK WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER! YUPPERZ! (Baku, if you're reading this, that's my line! Baku: No it isn't! Me: I came up with it! D:) Yeah, so I'm back with Chapter 5, and things are getting more intense! Thanks for all the support on Fire Within! ETERNALDRAYGON, OUT!)**


	6. Chapter 6

The witch grinned at the unconcious Minecraftian before her, before turning her attention to Storm, who backed up against the wall closest to the teen. Meanwhile, Sparklez was slowly recovering from the Confusion Potion's effect, his vision beginning to return to normal. In this condition, however, Sparklez had been hit by quite a few Potions of Harming, which had severely weakened him. He staggered to his feet; tightly grippping his diamond sword. With one swift blow, Sparklez pierced the witch, causing her bright green eyes to widen in surprise. The Captain pulled the sword out of her body, leaving the witch to fall onto the floor, dead. Sparklez stood there for a second or two before his legs gave out from underneath him. Storm ran over to him, carefully stepping over the witch's corpse. "Are you okay?"

The 21-year-old only mumbled a 'Fine' as Storm helped him get back onto his feet. When her eyes settled on Ant, she glanced at Sparklez nervously. "Is he going to be alright?"

Sparklez walked over to where Ant was slumped against the wall, his chest faintly rising and falling. "He's fine, it's just that he drained too much of his energy."

The teen gave the other a slight nod in understanding. She rose to her feet and studied the witch's unmoving body. Her experiences from fighting mobs told her to search the corpse for any items, but Storm decided to go against it. The witch was probably a normal Testificate, before she became evil. Even though she had nearly killed them all, the witch deserved at least a small amount of respect. The teenager followed Sparklez, who was now carrying the unconcious AntVenom, bridal style. She couldn't help but smirk. _If SparkAnt fans saw this, they would be going crazy over it._ Storm was obviously referring to the fan-created pairing known as SparkAnt, which is pretty self-explanitory. A gentle breeze blew past her face, causing her to come back to reality. She was suddenly reminded of what had happened last night, with the comlink. Storm's face paled as the memory returned, and the thought of what could happen to the other two came to mind.

Storm tried to push the thoughts away, but they were still haunting the back of her mind with a sense of impending doom. She then noticed how far behind she was from the others, and sprinted in order to catch up. After a bit of walking, the biome began to shift over to the Taiga they had previously been in, where a gentle snowfall was just beginning. As they continued towards the looming mountains ahead, the two heard a slight moan come from Ant. Sparklez's attention switched over to the Minecraftian, which he set down next to a tree stump. The 22-year-old's dark chocolate colored eyes fluttered open. Supporting himself with the stump, Ant slowly rose to his feet and observed his surroundings. Before he could say anything, however, the loud whirring of a helicopter filled the air. Storm's faded gray eyes widened in fear as she noticed the flying object. "I'm sorry," she whimpered, "I had to tell them..."

Sparklez whipped around to face the teenage girl, shock evident from his expression. "What did you do!?"

Storm softly bit her lip and cowered under the older Minecraftian's cold stare. "T-they k-killed nearly all of my f-family, and my little s-sister is the only one still a-alive..."

The teenager gazed at the ground in sadness. "I had to..."

The Captain studied her for a few seconds before shifting his attention to the incoming helicopter. Meanwhile, Ant was trying to understand what had just happened. _Storm is a traitor, and she sent some random group after us. But what does this group want with me and Sparklez?_ He cautiously approached Storm, without making too much noise. The 22-year-old sat down next to the teenage Minecraftian, and placed his hand on her left shoulder. "Storm, could you at least explain who these people are?"

Storm turned to face the older Minecraftian beside her. She gave a subtle nod, just before starting to speak. "This group, the ones that are after you guys, are lead by their commander, Aero."

Sparklez raised an eyebrow when he heard the name, but remained silent. Storm moved her gaze to the skies above, worriedly observing the copter that was steadily closing in on the three. "I was forced into doing this," she paused to watch the helicopter before continuing, "because they threatened to kill my sister..."

Ant looked at her in understanding and stood up, unsheathing his sword. "Well, know that we won't give up without a fight!"

Storm couldn't help but smile in false hope. "That's what they all say," she murmured, unheard by the other two.

As the helicopter came down for a landing, the doors slid open, and many armed soldiers in battle armor immerged from the aircraft. They were carrying laser blasters, which made Ant's and Sparklez's diamond swords seem inferior to the soldiers' weapons. One of the Minecraftians, probably the leader, ordered the command to attack. The two were outnumbered, but were skilled with their chosen weapon. Just as the soldiers began to open fire, Storm was pulled out of the way by one of them, who had messy brown hair and midnight black eyes. The teen recognized the Minecraftian immediately, and looked away nervously. He, however, used his hand to make her face him. Storm kept a constant frown as she observed the young commander, who was only about two years older than her. "Aero-"

The 20-year-old commander smirked. "That's Commander Aero, to you. Well done on completing your mission. Your sister will be reunited with you soon."

Storm gave him a slight nod, as a small tear ran down her cheek. "T-thank you..."

Meanwhile, the battle was still raging on. The deafening sound of gunfire blasted through the air, and many close calls had occurred. Ant and Sparklez had resorted to fighting back-to-back, but the more soldiers they managed to defeat, the more seemed to show up. A laser blast flew right past Ant's head, only distracting him for a mere moment. They were surrounded, and there was no way out. Suddenly, a raging inferno ripped through the masses, either killing or severely injuring those that were hit by the flames. Ant's eyes widened in surprise. _Did I just do that without knowing it? I could've sworn I didn't..._ The sound of very faint footsteps came from behind the two. Just before either of them could react, the sickening crack of something smashing into someone's skull pierced the air. Sparklez collapsed to the ground; a thick red liquid already beginning to trickle from the back of his head. Ant swiftly whipped around to face their attacker, but was only able to get a glimpse of dimly glowing red eyes before a sharp pain overcame him, and everything faded into blackness.

Commander Aero looked up in confusion. There was no way that the troops had killed the two so quickly, unless those two Minecraftians were actually weaker than he had thought. That didn't seem likely, since he had personally fought beside one of them, the Captain. Aero frowned in annoyance. _If they managed to kill the rest of my troops..._ The young commander mentally cursed and began to sprint, grasping Storm's wrist with an iron grip. The mentioned teenager tried to escape the elder Minecraftian's grip, but to no avail. She helplessly followed the 20-year-old, but it wasn't like she wanted to. The two rushed through the snowy forest, with Storm unwillingly trailing behind. As they approached the clearing, what they first noticed was that there was unusual burn markings on many of the fallen soldiers. Aero scrowled as he observed one of the soldiers, who seemed to have been burned alive. _This doesn't make any sense. How could AntVenom be this skilled with fire magic already?_ Then it occurred to the commander that this might've been the work of another fire-user, and he knew exactly who it was.

Storm yelped in surprise as she was suddenly jerked forward. Aero had broken out into a full run, almost causing the teen to trip over her own feet. She ran as fast she could, since Storm didn't want to end up with a dislocated arm if she got too far behind. The two burst into the clearing, and the sight shocked them both. The horribly burnt corpses of many Minecraftian soldiers lay on the ground, and a few were covered in gruesome cuts, obviously from a sword, their dark red blood staining the pure white snow. Storm shivered at the sight of it all, and fear began overtake her. Aero, however, only huffed in anger and noticed three distinct figures, two of which were lying in the snow. The commander released his grip on the teenager, and proceeded to unsheath his trusty obsidian sword. He approached the cloaked figure with stealth, careful not to make a sound. The cloaked Minecraftian was silently studying the unmoving AntVenom and CaptainSparklez, and only looked away when they heard the soft crunch of footsteps.

The commander froze in place when he had stepped too heavily, which created a faint noise. The cloaked figure shifted their gaze from the two unconcious Minecraftians to where Aero was. They narrowed their blood-red eyes when they noticed the commander. Aero tightened his grip on the obsidian blade and charged, anger evident in his shadowy black eyes. The figure whipped around to face him, and suddenly threw a milky white potion at the approaching Minecraftian. Aero wasn't anticipating such a potion when it hit him and shattered. The potion immediately came into effect, temporarily blinding his vision. Everything came shrouded in darkness, and Aero could only see a few feet in front of him. The young commander listened for the figure's soft footsteps, but all he heard was silence, until the sound he was listening for came from behind. The footsteps, however, seemed slightly lighter. Nonetheless, Aero pointed his sword at whatever was steadily coming closer.

The light footsteps stopped right next to him, just as the effect wore off. The commander blinked, trying to clear the rest of the potion's effect. A familiar teen sat beside him, whom he recognized as Storm. Aero shot the teen a look that demanded for her to give an explanation. Storm frowned as she began to explain what had happened. "That person in the cloak managed to escape with the other two. I tried to chase after them," she lied, "but I couldn't catch up."

The commander only nodded, believing her lie. "Very well. The tracker is still active, I presume?"

Storm's face paled in color. She had completely forgotten about the tracker that was still inside Ant's bag. "Y-yes, sir."

Commander Aero slyly smirked. "They won't be hidden for long..."

The fire cast a flickering light over the Minecraftian lying on the bed, faintly illuminating his face. Ant moaned, his head feeling like it was heavier than the rest of him. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, the 22-year-old noticed that he was in some sort of base, constructed of mainly stone bricks. When he tried to turn his head, a sharp pain shot through him. Ant clutched his head in pain, and tried to ignore the acute stinging of his injury. The lack of his comrade worried him, so the Minecraftian attempted to get up, but was suddenly overcome with a severe dizzyness. Ant fell back onto the bed in hope that the world would stop spinning, which it soon did. He huffed, but mainly in frustation rather than annoyance. Ant tried to stand back up, and fight against the disorienting effect. He was successful in his second attempt, however his condition became so overwhelming that he, unwillingly, collapsed to the floor with a thump. After a few seconds, he finally lifted his head to see in front of him. Through the haze that now clouded his vision, Ant managed to faintly make out the outline of another person standing in front of him. When the 22-year-old attempted to speak, the words came out horribly slurred, as if he was drunk. "Who're you?"

Surprisingly, the mysterious person seemed able to comprehend what Ant had just said, even though it was badly slurred. The 22-year-old quietly studied the figure, who was wearing a black cloak with a hood and a face mask that covered their mouth and nose. The most noticable feature was their faintly glowing red eyes. Ant's face slightly drained in color when he realized that this was the same Minecraftian that had knocked both himself and the Captain out. Ant hurriedly felt for his sword, but to his dismay, it was gone. "There is no need for your weapon here, so I took it."

The 22-year-old glared at the cloaked figure in front of him. However, his head injury still ruined his ability to clearly speak, so Ant continued to sound quite drunk. "I asked who da Nether are you, now answer."

He could've sworn he saw the other Minecraftian hint at a smug smile under their face mask. He knew that his drunk speech wasn't helping to make him sound serious, which he was. Before he could think of a way to do so, the red-eyed figure spoke again. "Very well. My name is Anti."

Ant shot him a suspicious look. "Your full name?"

The Minecraftian, apparently Anti, only smirked. "That's something for me to know, and not you."

**(A/N: HELLO, PEOPLE OF TEH WORLD! I am back with yet another chapter! *imaginary crowd cheers* *bows* Thank you, I'll be here all week! Yeah, so this chapter we learn about Anti! Yupperz, so new OC! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY! SO AWESOMEEEE! *Anti randomly appears* Anti: Are you done? Me: Um, yeah? *makes him disappear* Anyways, I'm starting to accept questions to the characters, so ask away! You can ask Ant, Sparklez, Storm, Aero, etc.! Also, please tell your friends about Fire Within! All support is appreciated! PLZ REVIEW, GUYS! ETERNALDRAYGON, OUT!)**


	7. Chapter 7

Sweat steamed down his face, yet he ignored it. It had been only a few hours since the two Minecraftians had been brought to Anti's underground base, but things had been going smoothly. As it turned out, Anti was also a pryomancer, but much more skilled than Ant was. Sparklez had woken up only about half a hour ago, and was wondering around the establishment. Meanwhile, Anti had offered to improve Ant's recently discovered fire magic, and he had accepted the request. The two were now standing in the central room, with Anti quietly observing the other attempt to summon a flame. The cloaked figure only shook his head when he saw what Ant was doing. "Not like that. Here, let me show you."

Anti gently pushed the other aside, and began to demonstrate. He closed his glowing eyes and concentrated, moving his hands around each other in a circular fashion. When Anti opened his eyes again, a small fire erupted from the palm of his hand. Then, as soon as it had apppeared, the flame disapiated into thin air. The experienced pryomancer turned to the stunned Minecraftian next to him, who suddenly regained their composture. "How was I supposed to know that!?"

The darkly cloaked figure only hinted at a sly smile. "You weren't. Why else would I be teaching you this?"

Anti's smile widened as he heard Ant angrily mumble under his breath. "You never liked it when someone else had a point, and that hasn't changed a bit."

Confused by the other's comment, Ant looked at him suspiciously. "How would you know that?"

Now realizing he had said too much, Anti tried to avoid the question. "Let's just say something tells me that."

Ant gave him a slow nod, still quite skeptical, before beginning to speak. "I'm going to go look for Sparklez, just in case he got lost or something."

The other Minecraftian seemed lost in his own thoughts, and absently stared off into space. "Fine with me."

The 22-year-old started down one of the two hallways, and briefly stopped to look back at Anti. _What is he hiding from me? I know for sure there's something he knows that I don't._ Ant excused the thought and focused on the current task at hand, which was finding the Captain somewhere within the many areas of the structure. It had formerly been a stronghold, which Anti had adapted into a underground base. He wasn't sure how far into the stronghold it was, meaning Sparklez might be already in the ruins of the base. Ant's footsteps echoed off the walls, amplifying the sound of the steps. The torches placed on the walls had become scarce, and the hallway soon became shrouded in darkness. _He couldn't have gone this far. If so, then where the Nether is Sparklez?_ The mentioned Minecraftian had actually travelled to the farthest reaches of the structure, and was now wondering around the premises of the stronghold, alone with only his thoughts.

A figure hidden in the shadows, quietly watched him. She couldn't risk to be seen by him, if he was still angered by her betrayal. Storm couldn't help it, her sister was helpless and captured, and at this point it seemed Aero would never set her free. The teen let out a soft sigh, which was noticed by the other Minecraftian nearby. She fearfully widened her stormy gray eyes as the teen realized that she had made her location obvious. Storm patiently waited for Sparklez to find her, and hopefully allow her to explain. The 21-year-old's footsteps lightly echoed off the walls, becoming louder with each step. Storm was just beginning to have second thoughts about allowing him to approach her, but before she could do anything, Sparklez pinned her against the wall. The Minecraftian glared at her with pure hatred, but what scared the teen even more was the color of his eyes. Sparklez's eyes were not the normal blue color she was used to, instead they were a blank white that reminded her of Herobrine. The teen tried to pry off the other's hand from her neck, but it was to no avail. She gasped for air as his grip tightened on her throat. "S-sparklez, why-"

The older of the two cut her off, his glare intensifying. "You betrayed Ant and I, so why should I even listen to you?"

The 18-year-old struggled to breathe as she felt her conciousness slip away from her. Storm was so light-headed that she wasn't even able to respond. The edges of her vision were black as night, and the haze threatened to make her entire vision fade into the very same blackness. "P-please, just-"

A scream echoed through the corridor, in the direction Ant was heading. He dashed down the hallway as fast as humanly possible and stopped only when he reached the brightly lit entrance to the rest of the stronghold. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Ant was able to spot two figures, one pinned against the wall, bleeding, and the other pinning the first, carrying a gleaming diamond sword. Ant recognized the two immediately as Storm and Sparklez, with the latter wielding the blade in his right hand. The sight was shocking to him, because there was no way that the Captain would ever do such a thing, even to a traitor, like Storm. Regardless of her current status, Ant decided to help the weakened teenager. He unsheathed his own diamond sword and silently snuck up behind Sparklez. However, before the 22-year-old could strike a blow, the other quickly whipped around, successfully throwing Ant off-guard.

The Captain proceeded to swipe his blade at Ant, who narrowly dodged the attack. Ant quickly got into a defensive stance, prepared to block any strikes that came at him. Another vicious slash from Sparklez nearly caused the other to topple over from its force, but regardless, it was parried. Ant tried to counter, but it was only blocked. Sparklez evily grinned as the swords were locked in place, and suddenly smacked Ant's sword out of his hand. Ant winced as his wrist was twisted into an unnatural position, but the pain only lasted a few seconds. However, it had meant the loss of his weapon, which was currently in the possession of the Captain. Just before the two blades sliced through his neck, Ant moved out of the way, not even leaving a scratch. He didn't have much time before the next attack as the strikes came much faster. The 22-year-old had managed to avoid almost every slash and strike that was directed towards him. For a split second, Ant had let his guard down, allowing the other to create a gash across his right cheek.

A thin trail of blood streamed from the cut, which gently flowed down the side of Ant's face. His anger towards this side of Sparklez was no longer able to be contained. "Damn it, Sparklez! What is with you!?"

The mentioned Minecraftian smirked, which only resulted in annoying Ant even farther. What happened next surprised even Ant. It felt as if he couldn't control himself as Ant blasted a spiral of flames straight at the other, slamming the Captain against the stone brick wall. As Sparklez's head hit the stone wall behind him, his eyes changed back to their normal blue color, just before he was knocked out from the impact. The two swords Sparklez was wielding eariler clattered to the floor, as he slumped against the wall, unconcious. A few seconds passed before the sound of footsteps began steadily to head towards the group. It was Anti, wearing his cloak with the hood up as always. His face mask still covered the pryomancer's mouth and nose, but if you looked closely, you could tell what his expression was. Anti appeared to have a blank expression, but his bright red eyes betrayed it. He looked as if he was surprised, but there was a slight amount of amusement, as well. Before Ant could even start to think of reasons why Anti could possibly be amused, the cloaked Minecraftian walked over to where the other two were, and turned to face him. "I suppose we should head back to the base?"

Ant absently nodded, his thoughts wondering elsewhere. When the rest of the group, which consisted of Sparklez and Storm, had recovered enough, they headed back up the tunnels to the underground base. While the group was traveling in the darkened tunnels, Ant decided to ask Sparklez about what had happened in the stronghold, but was ignored each time. After several attempts to get an answer out of the Captain, Ant approached Storm, who was in the back of the group. She seemed to be avoiding Sparklez, probably due to being attacked by him. The teen was looking wearily in his direction, and didn't even notice the 22-year-old next to her. Storm studied the structure of the large tunnel, before spotting Ant, which nearly caused her to jump out of the way and hit him. After she recognized the Minecraftian, Storm frowned at him in mild annoyance. "Don't scare me like that," she angrily whispered.

Storm couldn't see it in the darkness, but Ant was smirking at her reaction. The teen let out a faint sigh before talking again. "What do you want?"

"What do you think I'm going to ask you?"

The teenager rolled her faded gray eyes. "I was going to explain at this 'base' of yours, but someone just has to be impatient."

Ant couldn't help but snicker. "This is the first time I've asked. I'm not pestering you like what I did to Sparklez."

Storm didn't answer him, and continued to walk through the darkened tunnels in silence. As the group travelled, the tunnels soon became lit from torches placed along the walls, which marked their short distance from the base. Soon, Ant began to notice a slight pain pulse through his head, but he deemed it unimportant, and probably just a side effect from being hit in the head earlier. As time passed, the pain started to get worse, and eventally got to the point where it was fairly noticable, judging from Ant's veering steps. He leaned against the stone brick, in an attempt to regain his balance. Everything was out of focus and blurred, even his own hand, which was only a few inches away. The others' voices sounded distorted and far away from the Minecraftian. Suddenly, Ant felt his legs collapse from underneath him as everything began to fade away.

When he opened his eyes again, he was greeted with a pounding headache. Ant weakly got up onto his knees and observed his unfamiliar surroundings. He tried to stand up, but his legs were still unable to support his weight, which meant he had to crawl in order to move around. It looked as if he was in some sort of library, a dimly lit, yet large one. Ant searched for any sort of way to escape the room, before noticing a very bright light coming from one of the many rows of bookshelves. He cautiously approached the source, which was a torch. The mentioned torch was being carried by a young child, about six years old, who appeared to be searching for something. Ant immediately saw the child, and attempted to evade being spotted by them. However, while doing so, he accidently bumped into one of the shelves, causing the child to look in the direction of the sound. The child's dark brown eyes widened when he saw the 22-year-old. The child, apparently a boy, asked in a soft voice, "Who are you?"

Ant wasn't sure what to say to the young boy, so he directly answered the question. Surprisely, he was able to smile, even though he still had a pounding headache. "My name is Ant. What's yours?"

The child looked at him curiously, as if wondering how the Minecraftian had arrived there in the first place. The six-year-old blinked, and turned his head to the side in confusion. "That's what my name is, too..."

The 22-year-old studied the child's appearance, which confirmed his suspicions. The child was, in fact, a younger version of himself. Suddenly, the distinct shrill hiss of a spider came from the ceiling above them. The youth seemed unaware of the sound, and squeaked in fear as he saw Ant slowly unsheath his sword. Ant noticed the younger Minecraftian's reaction, and silently gestured to the ceiling. The six-year-old raised his head to see what the other meant. His eyes widened as he saw quite a few spiders, climbing around on the ceiling above him. Another hiss came from one of the creatures as its scarlet red eyes took in the sight of possible prey. It leaped from its hiding place, its fangs shining in the dim light of the library. Just before the creature could sink its fangs into the child, it was stabbed directly in the heart with a diamond sword. Ant pulled the gigantic spider's dead body off of his blade with his foot, leaving the rest of the spider's blood to flow into a small puddle around the mob.

A faint death cry came from the spider as it vanished into a burst of smoke. Although the cry was soft, the other spiders heard it and leaped down to face the two Minecraftians. A spider lunged at Ant, who quickly sliced it in half. Now there were three more of the mobs, each one hissing threatenly. One of the mobs pounced on top of Ant's younger self, who struggled against the grip of the spider that was holding him down. The 22-year-old immediately took notice, yet he was distracted by another one of the creatures who refused to be defeated. The mob hissed at him as it barely missed his arm in an failed attempt to bite the pryomancer. Ant took advantage of the spider's frustation and swiftly cut it apart. The other spider had retreated, but the one with his past self was still attempting to kill the child. It was only centimeters from the child's face, using its shrill hiss only to scare the boy. The spider had moved far away from the 22-year-old, several rows away, yet it was still fully visible to him.

Ant rushed past the many rows of bookshelves in order to reach the spider, but there was no way he could make it in time. The mob glanced at him for less than a second before turning back to its captured prey. Another loud hiss pierced the air as the creature slightly moved back, then pounced, with its sharp fangs protruding from its mouth. Time seemed to slow down as the spider came closer and closer to the six-year-old with each moment that passed. Ant was so close to striking the spider himself, but there wasn't much time for him to do so. The mob hissed in victory, as it neared its prey. It could imagine the taste of the young Minecraftian already...

**(A/N: HAI GUYS! I finished yet another chapter! I've been pretty busy this week, and I also suffered a bit of writer's block. (Nuuu, writer's block, WHY!?) I don't have too much more to say other then there's only 10 MORE DAYS OF SCHOOL LEFT! YUS! Also, I'll be leaving to go to D.C. on one of the first weeks of summer (I forgot what day I'm leaving, lawls!), so don't panic if I don't post a chapter that week. Also, sorry for the late chapter. I just wanted to get it over with, so no reviewer questions this chapter. I PROMISE THEY'LL BE THERE NEXT CHAPTER! SO, DON'T STOP SENDING 'EM IN! ETERNALDRAYGON, OUT!)**


	8. Chapter 8

Just before the spider could sink its fangs into the six-year-old's neck, a sudden blast of flames shot it away from the child. Shocked, the 22-year-old AntVenom stopped in his tracks. He didn't notice the other Minecraftian enter the room, let alone expect them to attack the mob with fire magic. Not too far from him, the spider hissed in pain before taking its last breath, then vanished in a puff of white smoke. His first impulse was to approach the mysterious person and find out who they were, but he was still worried about the condition of his younger self. Ant cautiously walked over to the child, while carefully making sure the stranger was always in his line of sight. When he reached the youth lying on the ground, a quick observation proved that the child was only in a state of shock, and nothing more than that. Ant glanced back at the stranger, who appeared to have moved slightly towards the two from when Ant had first been watching them. He glared in the other Minecraftian's direction. The pyromancer was grateful for the help, but he knew that you should never be too friendly to absolute strangers.

To his surprise, the younger AntVenom immediately ran over to the unknown Minecraftian, before the oldest of the two could warn him. The older of the two stood in silent confusion, before slowly walking over to his past self, who was standing right next to the stranger, holding on to their right leg. In the dim light, Ant was able to tell that the other Minecraftian was male, and quite a bit older than himself. Without a word, the unknown person gestured to him to follow. Ant didn't question the gesture, and trailed behind the other two, but still kept his sword at hand, just in case that it was a trap. He passed many of the library's bookshelves before finally reaching the exit, which opened up into an immense central room, much larger than the one in Anti's base. There was two birch staircases that lead down to the lower floor, which the three descended down one of them, before heading into the parlor. Ant had been so deeply studying the building's interior that he almost didn't notice the other two stop.

His attention turned to the older Minecraftian, who excused the child in the room before facing the other Minecraftian in the room. Before Ant could even say a word, the other silenced him with a stern look. "Do you even have the slightest idea why you're here?"

The 22-year-old quietly shook his head, which was the only thing he could do before the stranger continued. "Take a minute to think. Do you recognize this place?"

He tried to recall any memories of the place, but he couldn't. However, the building still seemed oddly familiar to him. Ant assumed it was just similar to another place he had been to, and attempted to change the subject. "Why is that important, anyway? What I want to know is who you are and why I'm here."

The Minecraftian across from him gave a hint of smile. "You already know who I am. It's just that you don't remember."

Ant narrowed his chocolate brown eyes in annoyance. It was clear that he wasn't getting anywhere with the stranger. Just as he was about to interrupt them before they could speak, something stopped him. A name surfaced in his mind, and it appalled him. The name was that of his father's, which he had been told very little about many years ago. His expression must've matched his shock, for the older Minecraftian's own expression changed to a calm smile. Suddenly, it occurred to Ant that this person might actually want him to believe that they were his father, who, to his knowledge, was probably dead. Ant quickly turned away from them, a frown etched into his features. "You're lieing to me, aren't you?"

The Minecraftian's gaze lowered to meet the floor. His expression shifted to that of a somber frown, and the emotion in his dark brown eyes told of the truth. "So this is what I get from trying to keep my family alive, that my own son doesn't believe me."

Ant stood in complete silence as he tried to take in the information. It seemed impossible that this person really was his father, but he didn't deny it. There was something to them that made him trust them, but he wasn't sure what exactly. Before Ant could say anything, a blistering pain shot through his head, causing the pryomancer to stagger backward before another burst of pain effectively made him black out. When Ant regained conciousness, he found himself surrounded by endless darkness. He was unable to move, and continued to float in the blank darkness. He could hear voices, yet they were faint, as if they were coming from the end of a long tunnel. Some of the words he was able to hear perfectly clear, but most were too distorted for anyone to make sense of. However, Ant could at least distingish the different voices as people he knew. "I always knew there was something special to him, but I never knew it was because he was a Dreamist."

Ant recognized the voice as Anti's, but he had never heard of the term 'Dreamist'. He attempted to listen closely to the conservation, but the rest became too warped to make any sense whatsoever. As he pondered the meaning of the term, he felt as if the awareness of his surroundings faded in and out, leading each thought of his astray. The voice of the Captain's brought him back to attention, but he was just barely unable to make out the words. Ant's head felt as if it was spinning, as he was dragged deeper into oblivion. Even though everything was nothing but darkness, his conciousness began to fade with every moment that passed. It seemed like hours had gone past in the total blackness, and he still hadn't figured out where he was. That was unimportant to the pryomancer, for he only wanted out of it. Finally, the darkness consumed him, leaving only his limp body to float in the never-ending shadows.

Slowly, but surely, the 22-year-old returned to reality, finding himself lying in the same exact bed he had awoken from after being taken to Anti's base. Ant's breathing was shallow at first, but regained strength as he began to fully awaken. For a brief moment, he forgot how to speak, due to the odd darkness he was in previously, but quickly remembered. "What happened?"

His voice sounded very weak, which, yet again, was probably due to his past state in the blackness. Storm kneeled down to meet his eye level, and explained how after Ant had collapsed, the rest of the group brought him back to the hideout. Just as she was about to continue, the weakened Minecraftian stopped her. "How long was I out for?"

The teenager started to fidget with her hoodie's zipper, which is what she always did to try and avoid a question asked to her. She stared at the ground as she did this. He gave her a look of annoyance before pressing her to answer. "Well? It couldn't have been that long."

Faded gray eyes met chocolate brown for a second, before Storm looked away from the older of the two. She sighed in defeat, as she knew that he wouldn't stop asking until he recieved an answer. "Fine. You were out for nearly an entire week."

The response caused Ant to go into complete silence. It seemed like he had been unconcious in his dream-like state for only about a day, at max. There was no way that it could've lasted so long. That moment, the term he had heard Anti say in the Shadowlands, as he had dubbed it, came to mind. Ant turned his head in Storm's direction, only to find her gone. He huffed in mild annoyance, now that what the meaning of the term was would pester him until he found out. Suddenly, he broke out into a coughing fit, causing him to shake violently with each one. The pryomancer struggled to get up, but Ant could barely move, as his time unconcious had managed to drain almost every ounce of energy from him. As he felt himself being pulled into the darkness, he silently wished to be out of this nightmare that was his life.

The dimly lit mineshaft provided enough light to reveal the fairly large group of Minecraftians, with the only other light source being the tablet-like metallic device carried by one of the figures. It cast an eerie red glow on the face of the commander as he studied the screen. A bright red colored square indicated their destination, and a pure white colored one marked their current position. Aero's face held a confident smirk as he went through the plan again in his head. It depended on surprise, which was in their favor as the group, undetected, traveled down the many abandoned passageways. Only about an half a hour had passed since the group had first entered the mineshaft, thanks to the tracker still hidden in Ant's bag. Suddenly, one of the scouts ran up to the commander, alerting him that they had found a trapdoor down one of the corridors. After hearing this news, his smirk widened into a devious smile. Without a sound, the commander followed the scout, with the rest of the soldiers trailing close behind.

Grinning, Aero swiftly unlatched the trapdoor and gestured for a few others to follow. They quietly descended down the wooden ladder, armed with miscellaneous types of guns. As soon as the commander noticed Anti with his back turned, he shot the pryomancer with a paralyzing blast from his S-4 Typhoon laser blaster, effectively causing the Minecraftian to crumple to the ground. The blast wouldn't kill him, but it would knock him out for quite a while. The soldiers that Aero had brought with him proceeded to search for anyone else within the perimeter. One of them let out a cry of surprise before being forever silenced by Sparklez's diamond sword. The Captain's eyes narrowed immediately when he noticed the commander. Aero only responded by aiming at the other Minecraftian and then fired several blasts at him. The commander intended to kill this time.

Almost every one of Aero's shots were avoided, however one directly hit the Captain in the torso, leaving him to fall to the floor lifelessly. Meanwhile, Storm had ducked behind a bookshelf as soon as she heard the first shot fired. She had witnessed the entire scene, only being able to watch as the two Minecraftians were shot down. Her heart pounded in fear and worry, as she tried to decide whether she should try and fight the armed soldiers, and if the other two were okay. Storm took a deep breath before dashing out of her hiding spot, and quickly notching an arrow in her bow. She released it, successfully striking one of the soldiers in the chest. The teen fought furiously, before being hit in the shoulder by a bullet. She cringed in pain as her right arm, the one she used for aiming, was hit. She heard a sharp crack and suddenly felt a burst of pain as one of the soldiers forcefully punched the female Minecraftian in the face.

Storm collapsed to the floor, barely propping herself up on her knees, with a thin stream of blood running from where she had been hit. She couldn't muster any more strength to fight, knowing that she had failed her friends. A foot slammed against her side, making her fall over completely. Everything around the injured Minecraftian began to fade away into darkness, and just before she did, Storm could faintly heard Ant cry in pain. It was all her fault that this had happened... all her fault...

**(A/N: Hai ther, people of FanFiction! That's right, I'm back with a new chapter of Fire Within! Sorry that it's so late, last chapter's writer's block made it so that this chapter was behind. Also, 11 reviews!? That's so awesome! Thank you guys SOOOO much! Anyways, since I promised, here is the reviewer questions! :D**

**Bluebird5555 to TrueMU: You have a jetpack?! What?!**

**TrueMU: Yeah, of course I do! You haven't noticed already?**

**Bluebird5555 to Ant: Quick, set yourself on fire and run through the base like a human fireball! That'll teach 'em not to mess with you!**

**Ant: I'd love to, but I have no idea how to do such a thing. It would be awesome, though! **

**Star Of Roselight to AntVenom and CaptainSparklez: Do any of you have a crush on Storm? I mean, before the whole "I'm a backstabbing traitor" thing.**

**Ant: Why would I? I'm already with Grail...**

**Sparklez: Not at all. I was still suspicious of her being some random fangirl at the time, so no.**

**Star of Roselight to AntVenom and CaptainSparklez: THERE'S A TRACKING DEVICE IN YOUR BAG!**

**Me: *covers Roselight's mouth* Nuu! Don't tell 'em! Also, the device is in ANT'S bag, not both of their bags. Plus, I think it's a little too late for that...**

**Bluebird5555 to Aero: I don't like you.**

**Aero: Hmph. I can't say my opinion of you is any better.**

**...And that's the end of the reviewer questions this chapter! If your question wasn't answered, it will be in future chapters! Please ask away! I love getting reviews! :D ETERNALDRAYGON, OUT!)**


	9. Chapter 9

The first thing Ant noticed when he awoke was the cold, hard surface of the floor that he was lying on. He supported himself against the wall, which was also made of the same material as the floor. It took some effort, but the pryomancer pulled himself up into a sitting position, and observed his surroundings. It appeared that he was trapped in some sort of cell, constructed of solid iron blocks. It took him a second to recall how exactly he had ended up in the cell, captured. Ant had been knocked out early in the attack, so the memory of his capture was barely anything. All that he could remember clearly was the sight of the soldiers bursting into his room before he blacked out. It didn't seem that important though, since Ant could already imagine what might've happened during his time unconcious. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps from the hallway. He weakly pulled himself over to the cell's window, and looked around for the source of the sound. A Minecraftian was walking towards him, directly in his line of sight. Ant recognized them immediately, from what he had been told by Anti.

The Minecraftian was none other than Aero, who was smirking in a smug manner, and his dark eyes were filled with anticipation. The commander had something planned for him, he could already tell. Aero stopped just a few feet from Ant's cell, with an expectant look on his face. The imprisoned Minecraftian only ignored the other's expression, and stared angrily at the commander. Aero couldn't help but smile. He knew that the prisoner was actually afraid of what would happen to them, even if they didn't express it. "It seems as if you can't escape. In that case, what will you do now?"

Ant narrowed his dark brown eyes at the commander, before looking away. He didn't even want to glance at Aero, the one who was responsible for the possible deaths of his friends. The thought of that worried him, for he had no idea if they were dead or alive. Ant slowly turned his head to face the commander, who was still standing in the same spot as before."What do you want from me?"

Aero grinned darkly, before turning away from the other Minecraftian and heading back down the hallway he had entered from. "Don't worry, you'll see soon enough..."

Ant tried to think of what could possibly happen, but before any thoughts came to mind, he was struck in the head. The pryomancer's limp body dropped to the ground, which his attacker, one of the guards, carried out of the room. At a steady pace, the guard began to head down the same hall the commander had several moments eariler, bringing the unmoving prisoner with him. It was time for the weakened Minecraftian to face the Tests, like many others before him. The guard's lone footsteps echoed in the empty hallways of the establishment. He stopped at a single door and opened it, careful not to drop the subject. Underneath his visor, the guard hinted at a smile. With one swift movement, he threw the body into the room, which made a loud thump as it hit the floor. Then, before the Minecraftian could even react, the guard slammed the door shut and locked it.

Meanwhile, in another section of the building, another being was coming back to reality. In the dark cell, the figure moaned as they attempted to get up. However, when they did, a sharp pain shot through them, causing them to slump back against the wall. Although it was hard to see in the near pitch-black, but the figure, apparently Sparklez, was covered in blood that ran from his chest. It was a wonder that he wasn't dead yet. Just then, he broke out into a huge coughing fit, before hacking up blood. A trickle of the red liquid trailed from the Captain's mouth as he groaned weakly in total exhaustion. The loss of blood he had suffered caused his vision to blur as the Minecraftian slowly looked around the prison cell. As he carefully studied his surroundings, Sparklez noticed something move in a corner of the room. He struggled at first, but slowly approached the small figure.

The Minecraftian in the corner slightly squealed in surprise, revealing themselves as a female. They seemed to be much younger than the Captain, about seven or eight years younger at least. The child cowered in fear at the older of the two, afraid of what would happen to her. "Who are you?"

He was silent for a second, noticing that the girl seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on the reason why. Sparklez brushed away the thought, and responded to her question with one of his own. "Name's Sparklez. Now, who are you, and where are we?"

She glanced around the cell, so she could avoid making eye contact with him. Finally, she quietly mumbled a few sentences under her breath. Sparklez let out a huff of annoyance, which drew the girl's attention to him. She could obviously tell that he wanted an answer, for real this time. The girl's eyes only narrowed. "You're one of those soldiers, aren't you? I have to admit, they're getting better at disguises."

The Captain was in stunned silence as the younger Minecraftian continued, "Either you're here to kill me, or it's another one of those 'tests' again, isn't it?"

He quickly shook his head, ignoring the pain it gave him, his blue eyes wide with shock. The way the girl had said 'tests' worried him. _What could she have gone through in these 'tests'?_ Sparklez's reaction to her words surprised the child, and she started to see his true colors. "So, you're not one of the guards."

With a slow nod, he confirmed the statement. "Okay, I'll trust you, but if you're lying to me..."

"I'm not, I promise."

She looked at him suspiciously, as if she was still skeptical. With a sigh, she began to explain. "My name is Rain, I'm ten years old, and I think we're in the main headquarters of Aero and his troops. Also," Rain added, "I think your friend might be the one in the test chamber right now..."

When Ant came to, he found himself in yet another room built out of iron blocks, but it was much larger than the cell he had previously occupied. A large glass window on the wall farthest away from him caught his attention. He could easily recognize the commander in his dark gray armor. Suddenly, the block he was standing on increased in height, creating a small pillar. Ant glared back at Aero, demanding for an explanation. There was no need for one, just as pistons in the walls and under the floor began to form into multiple platforms and pillars. Aero switched on a mic in the control room, and spoke into it. "So, just how good are you at parkour?"

The Minecraftian quickly studied the course, which was honestly quite simple, and ideal for beginners. Then again, there was still the possibility that Aero could make it much harder with the flick of a switch. He had almost unlimited power as long as he was in that one room, and Ant was in the testing chamber. The pryomancer turned his attention to the very first jump, carefully backed up, aware of what would happen if he stepped too far back, and easily launched over the gap, immediately proceeding to jump to the next block. Unseen by him, Aero quickly pulled a lever, just as Ant reached the platform, which suddenly increased in height. In mere seconds, the parkouring Minecraftian would've been falling to his demise several meters below him if he had not grabbed on to the edge of the extended platform. However, he wasn't completely out of danger yet, as he was currently hanging on the edge of the block. Ant pulled himself fully onto the four-block platform, still shaking from the near-death experience.

He glanced at Aero with a furious glare, who only grinned smugly. He quickly looked back at the course, and regained his focus on it. Deftfully, Ant cleared a few more of the obstacles that were standing before him. Despite the commander's attempts, the parkourist was successful in completing the course. Aero's expression darkened at the sight of it, but in reality, he only thought of the other's accomplishment as an opportunity to push the pryomancer's skills to the test even further. Before the mentioned Minecraftian could even react, the floor gave way from underneath him, and Ant found himself freefalling in pitch-black darkness. As he was falling down the seemingly endless pit, his breath suddenly hitched, and he shut down completely, rendering him practically lifeless in less than an instant.

It seemed that, yet again, Ant had entered the dream world, mainly known as the Dreamscape. He was in the ruins of a small town, one that this time, even with its current condition, he recognized. It was Exedin, the very place he had grown up in for most of his life. To see it destroyed left him in purely shocked silence. Ant could easily tell where many of the buildings had once stood. He slowly approached a nearby house, which was now mostly just a large pile of rubble. This used to be where he had lived once, but now it was nothing. Absolutely nothing. He had left the town with several of his friends to travel to the grand city of Falidorn, the largest in all of Minecraftia, but they were unable to return, due to a rockslide that had blocked the route to his hometown. Ant never would've imagined something like this to happen. He was suddenly hit with a vision, causing his eyes to widen.

A series of images shot through his mind, and memories flooded back to him. Soldiers had burst through the front door, pointing guns directly at his parents. They were both shot before his very eyes, but just before one the soldiers pulled the trigger, he remembered his father yelling for both he and his brother to run... _Wait. My brother..._ He thought back to the first time he entered the Dreamscape, when he encountered the red-eyed seven-year-old. There was no other current match to the Minecraftian from his dream other than Anti. _Which would mean that Anti is my brother..._ Suddenly, everything seemed to blur and fade into blackness.

Then, as soon as he had left the Dreamscape, Ant felt himself return to the real world. His eyes shot open, and quickly rose to his feet, although he oddly felt quite sore. The pryomancer looked around frantically, worried of what Aero might've done while he was unconcious. His gaze moved to above his location, confirming that he was, in fact, at the bottom of the pit. That instant, the lights flickered on, drawing his attention to the hallway extending from the room he was standing in. Ant cautiously took a step in the direction of the hallway extension, and slowly continued down the hall, each light turning on as he passed one. Whatever Aero threw at him, he would be prepared.

**(A/N: Whazzup, gais! Back with another chapter! Tomorrow's the last day of school, which is SO AWESOME! What's kind of funny is that no one in my grade is really making a big deal about it, but that'll probably change. ANYWAYS, I NEED MOAR QUESTIUNS PLZ! I'll just make do with what I have, I guess... ^^;**

**To spottedstar1123: Hai, friend! :D I told you about this at school, and I didn't expect you to actually look at it this quickly! Fank you! But next time, honestly give me a real review. I wanna know how well I'm actually writing this fic!**

**To Phoenix-164: Nope! Read the last two chappies, it says that Anti's not Ant's dad! Plus, you find out what family ties the two have in this chapter, so yeah!**

**To mc player: Sorry to tell you this, but Kermit's not in this story. Sky is not that important of a character in this book of the series, (Yes, Fire Within is actually the first in a series!) but he will be later on, so that's when Kermit gets a chance to join the adventure!**


	10. Chapter 10

As his distance from the next room closed in, the sounds of multiple monsters soon became overwhelmingly loud. Somewhat hestitantly, Ant stepped onto the grated platform and was met with the sight of a large horde of mobs, varying everything from creepers to slimes. There were so many of them, that he would be dead, no matter the mob who would inflict the death blow, in less than a few seconds. Then, just as he feared, the platform he was standing on slid back into its slot on the the wall, possibly causing him a death from falling so many blocks down. Thankfully, he landed on top of a large slime, but was nearly absorbed by the cube-like creature in doing so. The pryomancer bounced off of the gelatinous slime, taking the time in mid-air to unsheath his sword, which he didn't realize until now that it had been returned to him. When he was about to land, he swiftly chopped off a zombie's head before it had a chance to strike him.

He was surrounded on all sides by mobs of many different shapes and sizes, and each one wanted to be the one to strike the final blow on the Minecraftian. _Not a chance._ Ant quickly moved into a defensive position, carefully scanning the room for any monsters that came too close. From his right, a rather small-ish horde of zombies approached at their snail-like pace. Coming much faster towards him was a giant slime, the same one he had landed on previously. With a few powerful swipes of his sword, the gigantic green cube was slashed into oblivion. The groans of the zombies grew much louder, and as Ant turned around to face the horde, he was met with the startling sight of a zombie directly in front of him. He felt the mob's decaying hand touch his arm, which he reacted by slicing its arm off. He didn't want to become an undead anytime soon.

The familiar hiss of a creeper made him regain focus on the multitude of hostile beings, that were completely dedicating themselves to ending his life. The pryomancer was unable to get out of the way of the tall green creature's blast radius, and was then slammed into one of the chamber's walls. The impact nearly killed him, but miraculously survived the blow. However, it had stunned him, leaving the mobs more time to head towards and attack their opponent. In a dazed state, Ant could only watch as the distance between him and his enemies steadily decreased. He attempted to move, but his body would not respond, probably due to the shock of hitting the wall. Luckily, he was able to move his head, and narrowly avoided catching the watchful eye of an Enderman. He went at another attempt to possibly regain control of his body, this time, succeeding.

The mobs had become so close now that the only option was to rush through them, however it was extremely risky. There was no time for second thoughts, as Ant began to plow through the large horde, hacking and slashing at anything that came his way. However, he was outnumbered, and just as he could strike a mob down, another took its place. Soon, he found himself trapped, and exhausted from trying to slay the attacking monsters. It felt as if he would collapse from his many efforts to keep his foes at bay, since he had fully depleted himself of all of his energy. But at that moment, a familiar pulse of energy surged through Ant, and he gladly accepted it. But as soon as the last one had been allowed, another power surge, although with much more strength, overwhelmed him. He was unable to hold back the second burst of energy, and it quickly overtook him. The Minecraftian briefly lost control of himself, slowly drifting his gaze to the floor, eyes closed. Suddenly, the air around him seemed to become much warmer, catching the attention of the mobs around him. A few of them glanced about anxiously, afraid of what was going on. Others, however, ignored the change in temperature, and continued to approach the apparently unaware pryomancer.

Instantly, Ant's eyes flew open, but now they appeared to burn with an inner flame. He gave a confident grin, as if the crowd of enemies had suddenly decreased to nothing but a single unfortunate zombie. Two bursts of fire erupted from both of his hands, which temporarily blinded the mobs, since they were so adjusted to the darkness of the chamber. Taking advantage of their status, Ant began to strike the immobile creatures with many different combinations of firey attacks he didn't even recall knowing. Ant couldn't stop himself once he had started, he could only press on, murdering mob after mob, until only one remained. It was an Enderman. Suddenly, a rush of hatred came over him, as the Minecraftian was reminded of what had happened the last time he had an encounter with an Ender-being. The tall figure backed nervously against the wall, its deep purple eyes displaying its fear. Never would it have expected so much power from a single Minecraftian. It took almost all of his effort not to burn the mob to cinders, but Ant managed to do it anyway.

The tall figure's stark violet eyes were tightly shut as it awaited its inevitable death. Several seconds passed before it opened them again. It shifted to face Ant just in time to witness the blazing fury disappear from the pryomancer's chocolate brown eyes. It was obvious that all of his energy had been drained, judging from the unfocused, milky look in his eyes. He was about to fall to the hard stone floor, but the grateful Enderman grabbed him right before he did. The Minecraftian weakily glimpsed at the mob's face, clearly forgeting the normal consquences of looking directly at an Enderman. Surprisingly, the mob felt no anger towards the Minecraftian, only empathy. The creature examined the senseless AntVenom for slightly longer, then silently teleported away, with the pryomancer still lying in its arms. Little did the two know what was happening as they vanished into the dark shadows of the night.

A cloaked figure knelt before an ancient stone platform, covered in a tangled mess of vines. On top of the platform stood a pedestal, which had a slot for a certain object. The figure hastily pulled down the red-lined hood, and slipped out an oddly-shaped stone from one of their sleeves. They placed the stone in the slot on the pedestal, which caused the stone to emit a faint glow. In the dim light, a ghostly being appeared from thin air, their blank white eyes seemingly piercing through the other Minecraftian's soul. The black cloaked figure gazed up at the hologram, patiently waiting for the other to speak. "How much longer until the plan is completed?"

"My lord, I assure you it will not be long. It will be only a few more days, at least."

The holographic form of the Minecraftian unfocused and blurred for a second, a clear sign of a failing connection. "Don't fail me, Commander."

Abruptly, the signal cut out, leaving the room to be shrouded in almost complete darkness. The cloaked figure, now recognized as the commander, rose from his place, and retrieved the stone from its resting spot in the pedestal. As quietly as he had entered, the commander causally strolled out of the room, looking forward to continuing his master's plans. The first part of the plan was nearly finished, and only required a little more time. _And they'll never see it coming..._

Rain frowned as she heard a growl come from her stomach, wondering when exactly the guards would arrive with some food. Hopefully, they didn't forget. The young girl proceeded to curiously observe at her older cellmate, who had been silently working on some sort of project for most of the evening. She couldn't hold her curiosity for much longer, so the young Minecraftian quietly snuck up behind the Captain, and carefully peeked over his shoulder. In front of him were various types of materials, which were sorted in a way that only made sense to him. But what drew her attention was the tools that he had created. Rain leaned a bit more forward, in an attempt to see more clearly, but when she did so, the girl found herself off-balance, and nearly tumbled over Sparklez. The mentioned Minecraftian noticed this, and subtly moved from his current position, just enough that he could look at Rain, who felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment. She hastily mumbled a 'Sorry', before sitting down right next to him.

She carefully studied the other's actions, and steadily began to lose interest. Her stomach growled yet again, which she hoped Sparklez hadn't noticed, but of course, he had. The older Minecraftian paused to rummage through his bag, which surprisingly, the guards hadn't taken away. He managed to find a loaf of bread and an apple, and gave them to Rain, who shyly cast her eyes away from him, but kindly accepted the food. Afterwards, Sparklez continued working, as if nothing had happened. Rain retreated to her bunk to eat, and watched the Captain from there. By the time she had finished eating, the other Minecraftian was gathering up the remaining items that were scattered around where he was prior. She brushed the last few crumbs off of her bed and speedily climbed down from the top bunk bed. As she approached the Captain, he turned around, obviously hearing her footsteps, with a hint of a smile on his face. "Rain, we're breaking out tonight!"

The young girl was so purely shocked and amazed at hearing those words, that she was almost entirely speechless. "You've got to be kidding me! No way!"

Sparklez nodded his head, as if to say he wasn't joking around. He briefly showed her his newly-created iron pickaxe, before starting to mine up a solid iron block in front of him. Rain was uncertain of what to do for a moment, then picked up a stone shovel, also made by Sparklez, that was near her. She closely followed the other Minecraftian down into the 2-by-1 tunnel, remembering to replace the iron blocks that made up the floor. The only problem, that wasn't of much importance, however, was that neither of the two had any torches, so it was pitch-black and hard to see. After a while of digging and mining, the sound of voices came from above them. However, the voices were muffled due to the layer of blocks that separated the two groups, the one consisting of these strangers, and the other of Sparklez and Rain. Before Sparklez could stop her, Rain began frantically digging a staircase towards the surface. Unknown to him, the girl had easily recognized one of the voices, which belonged to her older sister. She dug faster with her stone shovel, and it broke just as she reached the top. Rain gasped in surprise and her eyes widened as she spotted the two other Minecraftians. One of them struck total fear into her, as she recalled the memory of them. It was none other than Aero, commander of the Dark Legions.

**(A/N: KO STAA, people of Fanfiction! Oh my gosh, ever since I figured out how to say that, I'm constantly using it. If you guys haven't watched Bodil40's Mob Arena Episode 2, that's what I learned it from. I WON'T TELL YOU WHAT THAT MEANS! YOU HAVE TO FIND IT OUT YOURSELF! MUAHAHAHA! Okay, I'm done. ANYWAYS, Chapter 10 is complete, and it only took TWO FREAKIN' DAYS! Only two! That's awesome! :D So gais, plz ask meh and my characters moar questions! Seriously, I think it's really interesting to see what you guys ask Ant, Sparklez, Anti, Storm, Aero, ETC.! Thanks! On a side note, Fire Within has racked up 21 reviews! Thank you SO MUCH! Alright, now it's time for reviewer questions!**

**mc player to****CaptainSparklez: RAIN IS STORM'S SISTER! Oh and you should have brought Gary, Mary, and Larry : )**

**Sparklez: Well, how was I supposed to know? Storm never told me what her sister looked like! Plus, Rain was actually reminding me of someone else...**

**Me: Okay, for the second part of this question (Well, it's actually a suggestion), I'll take over. The reason Gary, Mary, Larry, etc. weren't here is because CS isn't the main character here, Ant is. But remember, Fire Within is part of a series, and CS is actually the main char for the next book! Eheheh... SPOILER ALERT! (Not really :P)**

**mc player to AntVenom: How surprised are you that Anti is your bro?**

**Ant: Not as much as I thought I'd be. Of course, it is pretty shocking, but yet there was something about him that made it a less of a surprise to me. Still...**

**Okay, people! That's all for reviewer Q&A this time around! Please ask more questions, I have practically none to ask the characters! So sir (or m'am), could you please give me questions, sir? (If anyone gets that reference, I will be so freaking happy! 3) ETERNALDRAYGON, OUT!)**


	11. Chapter 11

Rain slowly crept back down in the tunnel, but bumped into Sparklez in doing so. She quickly whipped around in surprise, her face almost as white as a sheet. Confused as to why the younger Minecraftian was acting like this, the Captain brushed her aside and climbed up the dirt steps. She cautiously followed behind him, clinging to his arm in fear. Sparklez immediately noticed the nearby commander, and narrowed his blue eyes in anger. Aero darkly grinned as he locked eyes with the other Minecraftian. "Well, well, well. Look who managed to escape their little cage. Thought you could escape unnoticed, did you?"

The Captain remained silent, staring down the commander, whose grin only widened from the other's quiet demeanor. Beside him, Rain shivered, sensing the intensity of the matter. In a swift movement, Aero had whipped out his pistol, aiming it directly at Storm's head, who was now stuck in a headlock, struggling against her captor. Sparklez slowly stepped forward, calmly unsheathing his iron sword. The opposing Minecraftian's grin had vanished completely, and was replaced with a serious frown. "One move, and she's dead," he threatened.

The youngest of the four Minecraftians squeaked, her eyes widening to the maximum width possible. She glanced up at the Captain's face, silently begging for him to hopefully be able to save her sister from the danger Storm was currently in. Without looking at her, he reassured the young girl, in a whisper that was loud enough for only her to hear. "Don't worry, I won't let her die."

Suddenly, a faint rustling noise came from the bushes nearby, alerting him to the enemies hidden in the shrubbery. Although it was barely noticable, a glint in Aero's eyes signalled a sense of victory- but for himself. Sparklez shot a quick glance in Storm's direction, whose eyes revealed her only wish. _Get Rain out of here, now. She's more important._ He gave her a subtle nod, just as he heard the click of a gun preparing to fire. Aero was planning to kill Storm, even if the two other Minecraftians decided to allow themselves to be recaptured, which wouldn't happen. He tightly grasped Rain's wrist and ran. The sound of gunfire blasted from all sides, and one misstep would cost his and the younger Minecraftian beside him their lifes. Over the thundering blasts, the Captain could hear Rain softly crying. He didn't bother to look back, he just had to keep going.

Aero furiously threw Storm's lifeless body to the ground, then ordered for his troops to pursuit. He would not allow them to escape without a fight. Quickly, he got onto his airspeeder, which was hidden in the darkness of the forest. He slammed down the gas pedal, with a twisted grin on his face. _Not this time, Sparklez, not this time... I'll kill you for sure. I'll get my revenge on you for what happened in the Guard._ The commander was finished with playing games. This time it was serious. Meanwhile, Sparklez began to notice the faint whirring of the airspeeder already. He scrowled in frustration, knowing that only in a few seconds Aero would have him. A rush of energy seemed to overtake him as his opponent closed in. Sparklez didn't care, he just let it happen, even if _he_ possessed him again. Everything began to fly right past him as he neared supersonic speeds. _Let's see Aero top that. _At that moment, Rain decided to open her eyes. Sparklez was now holding her to his chest, but that wasn't what surprised her. What did surprise her, however, was how fast the ground was blazing past them.

She slowly lifted her gaze to look at the older Minecraftian, her eyes wider than ever before. The Captain didn't realize that she was looking at him, and continued to stare straight forward, his expression that of sheer determination. Rain was in pure shock and awe at the other's inhuman ability, that she was completely speechless. How was a single Minecraftian capable of such power? It seemed impossible. All of a sudden, the distinguishable noise of laser fire came from behind. From her current position, Rain couldn't see much, but what she did see was enough. They hadn't shaken Aero just yet, as he was sending a barrage of laser bolts in their direction, and steadily approaching with every second that passed. Sparklez was already feeling the energy drain from him, which wasn't helping one bit. Desperately, he pushed forward, each step slightly weakening the Minecraftian. If he continued on much longer, there would be no chance of escape.

Aero's twisted grin remained on his face, but his eyes were staring daggers into the Captain. It wasn't much longer until the other would run out of strength, he just knew it. Sparklez's speed was decreasing, and at a much faster rate than what was normal. A feeling of dread began to creep over the fleeing Minecraftian, as did another feeling, yet it was much darker. He briskly realized what was going to happen, and was unable to do anything but accept it. Sparklez slowed to a stop, and immediately let go of Rain. She gazed up at him in confusion, uncertain of the older Minecraftian's intentions. "Just run. Run as far as you can from here."

"Sparklez, wha-"

"Just go!"

The 10-year-old didn't question him any further, and proceeded to follow the Captain's orders. Only until she was a good distance away, the child looked back. Sparklez was on the ground, not injured, but seemingly doing something else unknown to her. When he got up again, the first thing that caught her attention was his pure white eyes, blazing with fury. Something told her to get away, and she obeyed. Rain went as fast as her legs would go, the image of Sparklez with his white eyes now haunting the young Minecraftian's mind. She tried to push away the startling image from her mind, and continued to dashed towards the nearest town, where at least someone would listen to her. In the forest, the fight between the commander of the Dark Legions and the former Captain of the Elite Guard was about to begin. In a flash, Sparklez blasted towards Aero with at an incredible speed. The commander swiftly blocked the attack, for he knew his opponent's battle strategy from fighting alongside him several years ago. Then again, it could've changed during that time frame, but Aero doubted it. The two swords, diamond and obsidian, clashed yet again, as each one tried to top the other.

However, Aero was able to spot a slight resistance in each of the Captain's blows, almost as if he was holding himself back. But what was really happening was that Sparklez was attempting to prevent himself from being overwhelmed by the rage that was burning inside of him, just wanting to be released. It was taking his focus away from the battle, which could allow Aero to strike a fatal blow and that would be the end of all. Suddenly, the Captain was kcked in the stomach, an attack he wasn't expecting at the time. That split second was what the darkness he was resisting against gladly took advantage of. Sparklez completely lost control of himself, and in this state, rushed towards his foe, furiously striking over and over, without any intent on stopping. An insane look was in his eyes as the Minecraftian fought the commander, each and every attack increasing in speed and intensity. He practically went berserk. Aero was barely able to keep up with the quick slashes and swipes that came his way. Because of such, he was covered in cuts and gashes. and was bleeding quite a bit from them.

Nonetheless, the commander kept on fighting, even though Sparklez was easily avoiding Aero's attacks, and striking so quickly that it was almost impossible to see. The weakened Minecraftian had no other choice, but to flee. Although other normal circumstances, just the thought of retreating made him feel like a coward, Aero decided to do so. He didn't need to die just yet. The commander was able to distract the Captain for long enough for him to escape. There was no need to fight unnecessary battles. As soon as he noticed Aero attempting to flee, Sparklez saw an opportunity to strike. With the same inhuman speed from before, he rushed towards the commander, swiftly bringing a sword to his neck. The Captain was tempted to kill Aero right then and there, but there was information that he needed from the commander. With a hiss, he proceeded to force an answer out of Aero. "Where is Ant!?"

The white was starting fade from his eyes as they returned to their normal blue color. During this, Aero fell silent, probably thinking of some way to trick the other Minecraftian. He calmly looked towards Sparklez, obviously not moving his head, otherwise he might accidently self-inflict a cut to his throat. "I have no idea."

The Captain's eyes narrowed. "Tell me, now," he said, pressing the blade of his sword closer to the commander's neck.

"Only if you let me go."

The other Minecraftian thought for a second before accepting the offer. "Fine. It's a deal."

Aero smirked. _This is way too easy._ "Tolurn."

Sparklez gave a slight nod after releasing the commander from his grip. Aero quickly drove away on his airspeeder, with another plan starting to form in his mind. He would be victorious and kill his former ally, even if it was the last thing he did. Meanwhile, Rain was patiently waiting on the edge of the large forest. She soon spotted the silhouette of the Captain as he approached the girl. When he reached her location, Rain couldn't help but ask what exactly had happened with Aero, deep in the forest. The older Minecraftian simply ignored her, causing the child to frown. The memory of Sparklez with white eyes came to mind, but she hesitated before deciding whether or not to ask about it. Maybe the answer was something she really didn't need to know, and that might be why Sparklez wasn't telling Rain anything. Deciding against asking about it, she quietly walked beside him, but at a slight distance. She was still cautious of him after escaping from Aero the first time. The memory of the encounter flashed thought her mind, and she was suddenly reminded of her sister. "Sparklez?"

The other Minecraftian turned to face her. "Yes?"

Rain's gaze drifted towards the ground, tears forming in her silvery-grey eyes. "Is... is she really gone?"

The Captain walked over to the child, unsure of what exactly to say. It took him a bit, but he was finally able to speak. "Rain... Her last wish was for me to save you... I just..."

She turned away, wiping the tears off of her face. "I just can't believe it..."

Meanwhile, far from where Sparklez and Rain were currently standing, Ant was just waking up from collapsing eariler on. He slowly got to his feet, and looked around for the Enderman who had brought him there. However, the Enderman was nowhere to be found, although Ant could already see the outskirts of a town from where he was now standing, in a grassy field. The pryomancer was still weakened, so when he took a step, he almost fell over. Ant tried to regain his balance, and head towards the town that was only a little bit up a hill. Hopefully, he wouldn't fall again on his way up the hill. The Minecraftian began to progress towards the buildings, soon becoming able to run again, but decided to play it safe and walk the entire way there. Not long after, he reached the entrance to the town, stopping to read a beat-up sign just before walking in. On the sign, there was some words etched into it, that read: 'Welcome to Witherbend'. "Witherbend, huh," he mumbled under his breath.

**(A/N: Back again! Sorry for the late chapter, I had my vacation to D.C., then I slacked the week after, so basically I wrote this... AT NIGHT (technically morning), and yeah. LISTENIN' TO ADVENTURE TIME, WOO! CavemanFilms' intro/outro music, BUT TEH WHOLE THANG THO! And next I must listen to the full of Jordan's (CaptainSparklez's) outro music! Hooray for Electro Music! BTW, it's like 5 A.M. here... NOT EVEN TIRED! Yeah... I'm weird like that. ANYWAYS! Reviewer Q & A, comin' right up!)**

**To Ant's fire: Are you ordinary fire once you are created, or do you have magical properties?**

**Teh Fire (lol): Hmm... Well, Ant hasn't figured out any complicated spells yet, so it depends on the spell. If he normally summons me, I'm just normal fire. But any fancy spell stuff and it's different.**

**To the commander: What is your plan?**

**Aero: Now, why would I tell you that?**

**To Ant: Is your fire the only fire that can't burn you, or are you immune to all fire now? **

**Ant: I haven't tried, but I'm not sure if I want to...**

**(Okay, that's it for Reviewer Q & A! YEAHHHHH! CAPTAINSPARKLEZ FTW! Um, sorry, listening to the outro music, NOTHING TO SEE HERE, PEOPLE! CARRY ON! Also, that reminds me of a thing I came up with in a Skype call with some friends... KEEP CALM AND SPARKLE ON! 3 3 Okay, I'm a bit of a fangirl... I'll admit it... xD ALSO! Officially gonna call myself my character's nickname, so... DRAY, SIGNING OUT!)**


	12. Chapter 12

As soon as Ant stepped onto the cobblestone street of Witherbend, he was almost immediately pulled off of it. The Minecraftian struggled to escape his sudden captor's grip, but was unsuccessful. A voice, that of a stranger's, in a demanding tone came from behind him. "Tell me, are you with the Dark Legions or not?"

"I'm not! I don't even know who they are!"

The stranger released their grip on the pryomancer, who nearly fell over afterwards. Balancing himself, he turned to face the mysterious stranger. "What was that all about!?"

They shifted their gaze towards the town gate before answering. "It had to be done. If you were with the Legions, you would probably be here to take the last few supplies from this place."

"And why would that be?"

"Witherbend is under a curse. Every hundred years or so, the Wither in the ancient temple to the south of the town awakens. This time, we weren't prepared, which means total chaos for us. The Legions are taking what they can before this town becomes nothing but a massive pile of rubble."

At the mention of rubble, Ant paused to look at the buildings around him. Most of them had taken severe damage from explosions, while a few were completely demolished. He hadn't been able to see the destruction from the dirt road outside of the town. He silently faced the other Minecraftian, unable to think of anything to say.

"C'mon, you must be exhausted. Let's head back to my place."

Slowly at first, Ant began to follow them, briskly switching over to a normal walking pace as the two travelled down countless streets and alleyways, before finally reaching their destination, which was a run-down inn, which was, surprisingly, still intact. Later that night, a thunderstorm passed through, leaving its rumbling cries to echo in the empty streets and buildings of the devastated town of Witherbend. Meanwhile, off in the opposite direction, Sparklez and Rain were taking residence within the confines of a small cave along the rugged dirt path to Tolurn. Rain had kept quiet for most of night, and now was no exception. The eldest of the two Minecraftians got up from his spot on the stone floor, and silently approached the young child. "Rain..."

She didn't even look at him, let alone even acknowledge his existence. In response, the Captain rested a hand on her shoulder, and proceeded to gaze at the vast area around the cave's entrance. After a short moment, Rain gently brushed away his hand, and retreated to the depths of the enclosement. Sparklez didn't bother to follow her, as she needed her space. It was better to leave the girl alone for now. With a sigh, he returned to his previous spot, and leaned against the wall, watching Rain in quiet observation. Soon enough, he lost interest and slid into a sitting position, and steadily began to doze off. Outside, the storm raged in an unspeakable anger, blasting harsh, cold winds across the lands. That same exact force was what constantly hammered the building known to members of the Dark Legions as the Facility, the same place that Ant, Sparklez, Rain, and Storm had been held hostage in.

Even from down in the deepest parts of the building, the storm was heard. As a cloaked figure ran down the twisting and turning hallways, the forces of nature continued to fiercely batter the structure. Their red eyes seemed to pierce though the darkness, endlessly searching for the one passageway which lead to their destination. Suddenly, the figure halted at an intersection, recognizing instantly where they were at that moment. They turned to their left, before proceeding to dash down that exact corridor. It was escentital for them to evade capture. Finally, the cloaked figure had made it to a large, empty room, which only had an strange pattern engraved on the floor, yet it actually held a great amount of importance. The figure pulled down their hood, revealing themselves to be none other than AntiVenom. Anti slowly approached the odd rune-like pattern on the floor, which began to glow with an orange light as soon as the pyromancer stepped on it. He made his way to the center of the room, where the runic pattern's starting point was. Anti hesitated for a moment, now having second thoughts, which he quickly ignored. There was no turning back now.

He hadn't used dark magic in quite a while now, so hopefully the spell would work. Anti attempted to channel the shadowy energys around him, and was successful in doing so. His eyes flashed a blank white for a second, before reverting to their blood red color. Although casting the spell had only taken a few mere moments, it had managed to drain a fairly large amount of strength from the Minecraftian, which was mainly due to his rustyness from using that type of magic often. He dropped his knees, unaware that another being was now standing in the room, one that was easily recognized as the Lord of Shadows, Herobrine. Anti slowly looked up, immediately spotting the dark lord. "H-Herobrine..."

The blank-eyed figure only smirked at the other's reaction. "Now, who else would it be?"

Anti, now pale from using the summoning spell, tried to rise to his feet, but found himself abuptly forced back down by some unknown force, which was probably Herobrine's doing. The pryomancer struggled a bit more, but eventally gave up. Still staring straight into the other's pure white eyes, Anti finally spoke, but with a serious tone, while still giving respect to his former master. "My lord, if you're planning to escape the hellish realm of the Nether and get revenge on your brother, it will only end in defeat, I can assure you that."

"Ah yes, but you fail to remember that I was weakened at the time. Now, I am almost at my full strength. There is almost no chance of failure this time."

Herobrine's response left Anti in silence. The last war had nearly ended with the Dark Legions victorious. If Herobrine was at full strength this time, it might not end well for the people of Minecraftia. However, at this point, war was inevitable. The pryomancer looked away, unable to even think about how Minecraftia would be like if the Dark Legions suceeded in their plight. "If you side with me, I can give you unlimited power. You would like that, wouldn't you, Anti?"

"How can I trust you after what happened last time? You promised to keep my younger brother safe, and that was all just a lie."

"Promises have to be broken sometimes, Mr. Venom. And if you won't listen to reason, I might just have to force you into doing so."

The pryomancer's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare..."

"I would. Now if that's all, I believe the both of us have work to do."

"What do you mean by-"

Suddenly, a pillar of dark energy blasted from the ground below Anti, which the darkness swiftly began to overtake him. After the blast subsided, he was left twitching in pain, trying to fight off the threat of possession. It was a losing battle, since the energy Anti had still was too little, and he was forced to accept defeat. Almost all of his senses instantly became useless, as the pryomancer was forced under Herobrine's control. When Anti looked back at the dark lord, he was not the same person as before. His eyes were now the same blank white as his master's. Then, without a sound, the two Minecraftians vanished from the room entirely, as if they had never existed.

The ground outside the cave was now damp from the previous night's storm, and the grass was coated in silvery dew. Rain hadn't said a word since yesterday, which was worrying to the eldest of the two. Sparklez shot a glance in her direction, noticing her somber expression. She was fiddling with her jacket's zipper, in a similar fashion that Storm used to do. The Captain's own expression darkened with the memory of his fallen comrade. Regardless, they still had to press on. It wasn't unbelievable that Aero might've lied to him, which he probably did, knowing him. Behind the Minecraftian, Rain was still staring off into space, but slowly found herself pulled back to reality. Her first thought was that of what had gone down in the forest between Aero and Sparklez. She frowned, uncertain if it was a good time to ask about it. Otherwise, the question would bother her for even longer than it had already. After a few minutes, Rain had finally gained enough confidence to do so. She silently walked up to the older Minecraftian, and paused, slightly afraid of asking.

_ Just ask already_, she told herself. The girl lightly tugged on the other's jacket, catching their attention. Sparklez stopped immediately, and turned around to face her. "What is it, Rain?"

"I have something to ask you about..."

**(A/N: Gawd, this chapter took forever to write. I had the idea for it and everything, it's just I was professional-crastinating. Yes, I just said that. Actually, I typed it, but WHATEVS! Sorry for leaving you guys hanging for so long. Life just hates me sometimes, but doesn't it for everyone? Don't answer that, because it's a yes. And don't you dare lie, 'cuz that is a true fact. Life hates everyone at some point in time. Anyways, I've officially decided to change Sparklez's red eyes to white. It fits the reason why he has them much more than the red eyes thing does, because I actually settled on a reason, and white makes more sense. Probably explained that in the worst way possible, but does anyone REALLY care? Exactly. Also, ANTI IS NOW POSSESSED! *insert epic evil laugh here (Like AntVenom/Taylor's. His evil laugh is boss, hands down. :3)* Um, so yeah, just putting that out there. Now, onward to the reviewer questions!)**

**To Anti: WHERE IN THE OVERWORLD DID YOU GO!?**

**Anti: That is information that you have no reason to learn of. It is only for my master and I to know. (He's still possessed, by the way.)**

**To author (Meee~ :3): HOW DAFAQ DID YOU COME UP WITH THIS STORY!?**

**Me: Well, the idea came from a Minecraft plugin on one of my friend's server, which was the Avatar: The Last Airbender plugin. I was messing around with it and got the idea for Anti to have fire abilities from the Firebender class. Anti was a much different character from how he is today, since he was originally an evil clone of AntVenom, which soon changed into Anti being Ant's brother. That's pretty much how I got the first spark of inspiration for this fanfic.**

**To CaptainSparklez: Will you fall in love with Rain?!**

**Sparklez: Why would you think such a thing? Rain is much younger than I am, if you were unaware of that. She's ten, I'm 21. Doesn't make much sense, does it?**

**To CaptainSparklez: What are your red eyes for?! (A/N: I've changed them to white now.)**

**Sparklez: That's something I'd rather not answer...**

**(A/N: Thanks so much for reading, and it looks like my job here is done. DRAY, SIGNING OUT!)**


	13. Chapter 13

**(A/N: Okay guys, I know I don't normally write one of these Author Notes at the beginning of a chapter, but this time, I find it to be necessary. I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long, it's just that I've been really busy with school, friends, and other crap, so that's why this chapter is so late. I'll try my best to write more often. ~Dray)**

Sparklez's expression changed to a frown, as he could already tell where this was going. "Tell me what it is, then."

Rain cast her line of sight slightly away from the older Minecraftian, keeping him in the very edge of her peripheral vision. "It... It's about what happened with you... in the forest eariler..."

The Captain fell silent, trying to think of how he could explain what had truly happened to the young child. She glanced curiously at him, studying the stone-cold look in his dark blue eyes. "Sparklez, it's okay if you don't want to tell me..."

He snapped to attention after hearing her voice. "It's fine. I guess I really should explain this to someone else, rather than avoiding it."

Sparklez paused for a while, before speaking again. "You've heard the story of Herobrine before, right?"

Rain blinked, unsure of how this had any relevance to what she was asking. However, she still answered his somewhat odd question with a short nod. "Yeah, I've heard it before."

He looked away, before muttering something inaudible. The older Minecraftian seemed somewhat troubled, at least from what she could tell from his expression. "Rain."

At the sound of her name, the young Minecraftian looked up at the Captain. "The truth is, I'm actually Herobrine's son."

Rain's face suddenly was drained of color, and she stepped back in fear. "D-Don't joke about Herobrine like that!"

His expression didn't change one bit. "I'm not."

The younger Minecraftian fell silent at hearing his words; her deep blue eyes slowly moving their gaze to the ground. Sparklez, however, was unsure on how the child would react to such information. The two stood there for a while longer, before the eldest decided to break the unsettling silence. However, just as he was about to speak up, Rain beat him to it. She looked up at him in understanding. "It's okay with me, I mean... it finally makes sense now, I guess."

The Captain raised an eyebrow. "It's completely fine with you?"

Rain gave a quick nod. "Of course! Sure, most people would just turn away, but... I trust you."

A hint of a smile tugged at his face. "All right, now that that's done and over with-"

He cut off his sentence abuptly, quickly turning around, drawing his sword in the process. Rain looked at Sparklez curiously, confused as to why he had stopped. "...Sparklez?"

Entering a crouching position, he gestured for the younger Minecraftian to be quiet, and she obentiently followed the silently issued command. The Captain's eyes darted around quickly, searching for anyone nearby. He straighted up after a few seconds, yet his suspicions were still running high. "We're not the only ones here," he stated.

Behind him, Rain's eyes narrowed a little bit, as if skeptical of his assumtion. He glanced back at her, now noticing the look she was giving him. He rolled his eyes, proceeding to sheathe his diamond sword. "Fine. Don't believe me, then."

Rain shrugged, completely blowing off Sparklez, and resumed walking. The older Minecraftian only shook his head slightly, and followed after her. As he finally caught up with the child, who had surprising gone quite far up the path, Rain was staring up into the heavens above, observing the fluffy white clouds that were passing by. A morning breeze caused her long nutmeg-colored hair sway in the wind. She seemed totally unaware of the Captain's presense, as she studied the skies above her, so he tapped her on the shoulder. She immediately turned to face him. "Took you long enough."

In reality, it had only been about a minute or so, but to the child, it had been much longer. Just as the two Minecraftians were about to continue towards the town of Tolurn, the eldest of the pair picked up a faint whirring noise from somewhere nearby. He couldn't pinpoint exactly where it was coming from, but from what he could tell was that it was getting louder by the minute. Sparklez's eyes narrowed, as he knew precisely what the source of it was. _Aero's airspeeder, no doubt. He doesn't know when to give up, does he?_ At this point, Rain had noticed it too, and knew what it meant. "Not again..."

The Captain nodded. "I'm afraid so. I'm going to guess that Aero's not going to let us off lightly, either."

"Can't we just run?"

Sparklez faced the younger Minecraftian, a serious look in his eyes. "He'd catch up with us anyway. It's better to fight the threat head-on this time."

Suddenly, the whirring noise appeared to reach its peak, the sound now roaring over everything else. Sparklez unsheathed his sword; all his focus now centered on the rider of the airspeeder. "Stay behind me, Rain."

The Minecraftian didn't protest at all to this. After all, she barely had any fighting experiences in the past, whereas Sparklez had fought in countless battles, from small skirmishs with mobs, to all-out wars. Suddenly, with a single swift movement, Aero had jumped out of his vehicle, and was now staring directly at Sparklez with his standard smirk of confidence. "You're not going anywhere. The battle shall end in my favor, for once."

Returning the look Aero was giving him, Sparklez smirked back in sheer determination. "Don't count on it."

The expression on Aero's face vanished completely. "You'd be surprised."

Almost immediately, the Commander of the Dark Legions charged forward, slashing at the Captain with a multitude of different strikes, each one different from the last, which made his movements near-impossible to read. Two swords, one diamond and the other obsidian, clashed against each other almost constantly. The Minecraftians themselves were both near-equal in skill, and no one seemed to get the upper hand. As the fight trudged on, Aero managed to get a somewhat exceptional blow in, as his blade cut across the Captain's face. Sparklez was then knocked backward by a kick to the torso. He tried to recover, but at this point, Aero had already gained the upper hand, and there was little chance of him losing it. As the razor-sharp obsidian blade cut into the older Minecraftian's flesh, Aero couldn't help but grin in triumph. There was no way he could possibly lose now. With a final swipe, Aero knocked the Captain to the ground. "To think you actually believed you had a chance..."

Sparklez lifted himself back up just barely, but it just was enough for him to lock eyes with the other Minecraftian. The Commander looked down at the other, instantly spotting the dirty look he was being faced with. He darkly grinned at the sight of the defeated Captain. "This isn't all I have planned for you, that's for sure."

Rain, who was keeping her distance for much of the duel, stepped back in fear. Aero turned towards her, with gun in hand. Sparklez knew exactly what Aero was going to do. He was going to kill Rain in the same manner as her sister. The one thing that truly hated with all of his being was the unfair death of an innocent, especially someone as young as Rain. The Captain struggled to rise to his feet, as he had suffered severe injuries from all of the blows he had taken in the duel against Aero. Distracted, Aero was unaware of Sparklez until the very last second, where his reflexes were what saved him. With almost all of his remaining strength, Sparklez had attempted to strike Aero from behind, which failed. The Commander quickly disarmed the Captain, a faint smile on his face. "You'd have to do better than that to kill me."

Aero swiftly pulled his gun on Sparklez and shot him a few times, one of them in the shoulder. "That'll teach you."

The older Minecraftian's clothes were almost completely blood-stained at this point, and he was starting to feel quite light-headed. Refusing to even glance at the Commander, Sparklez stared at the ground, which was now beginning to turn to a dark shade of red, trying to think of something he could do in this situation. There was only one way he could possibly stop Aero from murdering Rain, although it would cost him. "Take me instead."

Aero turned around slowly, a faint smirk on his face. "You've finally come to this? Very well."

"On one condition. Leave Rain alone from now on."

The Commander's expression became very grim, as the girl would only intefer in later events. However, he was a man of his word, and agreed with the terms. He silently held the gun up to Sparklez's head, much to the dismay of Rain. As she ran towards the two, time seemed to slow down as Aero pulled the trigger. The last thing Sparklez heard was Rain cry out just before everything faded into darkness.

**(A/N: My fangirl side is currently like Rain right now. She's so upset... By the way, I was listening to Rezonate – Lonely while writing the last part. Go check it out. Now, if you'll excuse me, my fangirl self needs some time alone. ~Dray)**


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